Life's Rules: Love
by Gecko Osco
Summary: Set two years after the events in Trust, Viper has been stopped, and now everything is at peace...or as peaceful as it can get for the Titans and a preganant Starfire! Please review guys! [ ROSF, BBRA, CYJX, OCOC]
1. Default Chapter

**A/N: **Howdy y'all! Did you guys miss me? Wait, let me guess…you are all probably screaming about time as you read this note aren't you? Yes, and I can understand why…I'm two weeks late to when I said I would have this out, but at least I'm getting it out before April ends!

Seriously, I have really been pressed for time of late, and when my schedule finally started to clear free I got hit right in the face with a nasty case of bronchitis. I mean seriously bad…and it didn't really help that I still ran one of my meets with it either, but that's completely my own fault. Add that on top of constant work stuff, my AP exam in two weeks, and all my graduation planning I didn't really have a spare moment on me.

But, never fear! I'm almost over my sickyness, and decided to get my first chapter out before I start a new fic I'm going to be working on…so updates for this may take a bit longer than most of you are used to…but, we'll just have to cope yes?

For those of you who are new or just didn't pay attention to my notes before, this is a continuation of my last fic, Life's Rules: Trust, and second in my trilogy. This fic is broken into two different portions…one takes place two years after my events in LRT, and the other takes place an additional 4 years later. This fic is going to be quite a bit darker than my last fic, contrary to what the title leads you to believe, so be prepared readers.

Well, enough of me talking, onto the reading!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Teen Titans or anything affiliated with them. People at cartoon network are the owners, and I'll never be able to buy the rights unless I suddenly have the power to make my own money.

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**Life's Rules: Love**

**Chapter One: Sins of the Past:**

There is an old saying that one learns from the mistakes they've made throughout his or her life, and adapt to new situations with this newfound knowledge. It is further believed that people also can find redemption from past faults be merely believing that they are able to. Often, this foolish notion is what keeps certain people from learning the truth about the world, and about human nature as well, but it is also what saves select criminals from the darkness in their minds. Unfortunately for the masses of Jump City, these beliefs that were created by some idealist all those years ago never had counted on a woman by the name of Vanessa Bowman. For, history was about to surge forward, and a long forgotten struggle between the heroes who protected the people's fair city and the girl who had almost brought that team crashing down was about to recommence.

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It was turning out to be another dull, typical day for Vanessa Bowman as she reflected over her morning while eating her slop that the guards liked to call food. After she was awaken by a blaring alarm clock, she found herself mindlessly grabbing her necessities and heading toward the community shower in a herd of women ranging from the midteens to the middle-age in a slow, measured march. It hardly bothered her much anymore that she had to take a shower with nineteen other women, now ignoring the leers certain inmates cast her way, not concerned for her well being anymore. After this degrading ritual, she would dress herself in the drab apparel of the blue uniforms all inmates at Metropolis Penal complex had to wear, the long sleeves on the top half much to long for her petite frame so she was forced to roll them up every morning. Then, she would gather her long, brown hair and secure it away from her face in a single plait down her back; to then endure the annoyance of wisps forever plaguing her face, seeing as they were not allowed barrettes in the prison. To complete her most exciting morning, Vanessa was then driven into the Mess Hall where she and her fellow criminals were fed the same pale gruel everyday before they were sent to their varying work sites.

Yes, Vanessa Bowman lived an exciting life in this center.

However, some may wonder why the guards there didn't actually mix in with the throng of prisoners, instead opting to control them from the safety of balconies that overlooked every room in the prison. The answer had to do with the fact that these convicts were what was commonly referred to as 'Metas' and were not to be dealt with directly due to their unusual abilities. They had almost all been caught by the superheroes of varying cities, and the most dangerous ones were sent to this Metropolis prison because of its high security precautions. No tours were conducted here, and no government officials came to visit the legendary penitentiary, only the hardened jail guards and the members of the Justice League ever visited it, and the famous crime fighters only to make sure that no jail breaks could happen and the like. Anyone sent to this place had to be condemned by the Justice League itself, and then for crimes so heinous it was almost unthinkable to most regular people.

So, if all the inmates were so incredibly dangerous, why didn't Vanessa fear them? She didn't fear them because all the other captives knew of what her crimes were, and they all feared her more than anything else in the complex, Justice representatives included. When she first had arrived, some of older convicts thought it would be nice to have a little slave to fulfill all their wicked, and perverse desires, so they tried to ambush her for she was only sixteen. None of those women lived to see the next day, and the carnage wreaked upon them by the petite, animal-eyed girl was unforgotten by witnesses who had seen Vanessa flay the women alive with her long, cruel nails. Instantly, she gained a kind of respect from these women that was unheard of by the guards.

But then, the guards didn't really understand just to what extent her crimes went, and the Justice League members didn't fill them in on it either.

As she rose from her table at breakfast, she didn't notice the whispers of fears and rumors that surrounded her, the two years of captivity she had endured not stemming the mystery and intrigue she caused for nearly killing one of the most renowned heroes in the world. She merely continued to walk towards a holding room to wait to hear just what her work site would be for the next three months. She betrayed no emotion as other inmates in her block took seats around her, and stared ahead as a guard spoke to them of their working at a mining site from his balcony up high.

As her day passed by in mind-numbing tediousness, she hardly recognized the bell sound that signaled the end of their eight-hour workday, and lifelessly followed her fellow convicts back into the Mess Hall for another delicious supper of sloppy Joes. After that commenced, she followed her block into the holding area once more, for it was their turn for the weekly evaluation by the Justice League appointed psychologist. Vanessa waited patiently until her name was called, and she then walked into a small, oval room where she was ordered to sit down on a small, brown couch in the center of the room. A tall woman entered from a side door, accompanied by a man clad in a skin-tight red and blue outfit. Guards stood in every corner on the balcony, prepared to kill if the inmate attempted to attack the doctor or the famous hero beside her.

" I don't think it's a good idea that you position yourself so close to this girl Chase," the man known to the world as Superman said quietly to the red-haired woman on his left. " You know what she can do, what she almost did do."

" I'm perfectly aware Superman," Dr. Chase Meridian answered calmly. " Bruce also was quite upset at my decision to interrogate this girl, but I think it's needed. Besides, that's why the League sent you here as well isn't it? I don't think this girl will try anything to…villainous…while you are here."

Giving her a look of disbelief, the famous hero merely positioned himself behind the doctor as she took a seat across from the very dangerous girl in front of them.

" Hello Vanessa," Chase said amicably. " My name is Dr. Meridian, and I'm here to see just where your thinking as progressed this week. Can you answer any questions I have truthfully?"

Giving the woman a sharp glare, Vanessa replied, " I've always answered honestly, _doctor._ It's your stupid psychiatrists that can't handle what my answers are. But, you have my word, for whatever you think it's worth."

" The League has asked Superman to watch in on this session my dear," Chase said with a sad smile on her features. " I think you know why, so please just deal with it. Firstly, I want to know how you're doing in here. You almost never get these sessions, this one being your fourth as I understand, so I don't think we really know just how you think about your life here."

" What is it that you want me to say?" Vanessa said with a cruel smile on her beautiful face. " It's boring and dull as fuck. Nobody tries to fuck with me, because they all know what I can do to them, so I have no real entertainment. Food sucks ass, so try to work on that, and these little therapy sessions don't do a damn thing to any of the inmates here…just so you know."

Giving the girl in front of her an indifferent gaze, Chase said, " Well, you may not see it's potential, but others do get something out of this. You don't really seem to hate it here, so we must not be doing to terrible a job. Next, do you feel any remorse for what you have down?"

" Well," Vanessa answered as she shot Superman a gaze. " What exactly are you talking about? I've done a lot of things in my life you probably wouldn't approve of."

"I'm asking you about anything you've ever done," Chase said sharply, trying to divert the girl's attention away from her companion. " In the far past, or the recent."

Putting on a mock look of concentration, Vanessa replied, " You know what? There is something I always wished I had done, but never did. I wish I had looked for my father and ran his head through a spike for what he did to me. But, that's about it."

Unable to keep silent anymore, Superman barked out, " Is that all you can do you insolent brat! Think about killing!"

" Please Superman," Chase said, laying a hand on his arm to calm him down. " You know she's trying to provoke us don't you? Just leave this to me."

" Oh," Vanessa said with a cruel laugh as she decided to piss off her 'helpers' some more. " You want me to say I'm sorry I almost killed bird-boy two years ago don't you? You want me to say that I've learned the errors in my ways, that I no longer hate Batman with every inch of my being, and that I'm going to devote the rest of my life to doing good work! Well, guess what guys, if I ever get the chance to finish what I started, you sure as hell can bet on that I will. And, you know what? This time, I'll take my time with the little circus bastard, make sure his screams will be heard by all of you up there in space, not to mention his little alien whore. I'll make you all wish you had sentenced me to death, not taken the higher road and go for mercy, because you all didn't save the little song bird's life, you all just condemned to a hell of a death that will make villains to come shudder in thought of it! I'm going to kill him, if it's the last thing I do, I'll kill that kid and send his mangled remains up there to space so you all can see what your little punishment caused. And boy, will I enjoy it!"

Chase looked in horror at the girl in front of her before rising from her seat and leaving the room. Vanessa waved cheerily and then flashed a smile at Superman, who seemed to be on the verge of killing the girl in front of him.

" Come on Mr. Kent," Vanessa said provocatively as she fixed him with a wicked look. " Go ahead and pound the shit out of me. It's the only way to save Bruce's little boy. But you won't, will you? You'll walk right out of this room, head up to space, and tell your League exactly what I've said tonight. You don't want to tread the path because you're afraid it'll condemn you. That's why you'll always lose against villains like me Superman, you're to damn selfish concerning your own mental and public image. That's why I'll win in the end."

Fixing her with one last livid gaze, Superman turned away and headed out of the room, too unnerved of the words she had uttered concerning him and whether they were true.

Staring at him the whole way, Vanessa shouted out the last word right before he left the room. " Oh, and do be a dear and increase your protection over little Dick Grayson. I always do enjoy a challenge when I'm hunting my prey."

She was ushered out into the holding room after Superman had left, and calmly walked back to her seat as the next inmate walked into the room for assessment. As she sat down, Vanessa Bowman, also known as Viper, allowed herself to think about just what she had threatened to do should she get out, not noticing the fearful glances she received from the other female criminals as a malicious smile crossed her features, and a maniacal laugh issued from her throat every so often.

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The wind teased her hair across her shoulders and face, creating a tickling sensation that both annoyed and pleased her. She knew she asked for it, sitting on the roof with her hair down when it was so stormy outside. Jump City was not known for strong storms, but it wasn't unheard of for the city to get them. The waves of the sea were growing increasingly violent as they slammed into the shoreline, triggering the sand to fly up into the air to be carried by the wind. The swells were quite large, some reaching ten feet in height before they reached the land, and were a white, frothy color that only seemed to further enforce this tempest's arrogant attitude. The sky also seemed to be in an angry mood, the clouds a swirling mass of gray that bordered on pure blackness as they loomed overhead.

She wondered what she was doing exactly on the roof, for it was surely not the type of atmosphere that she would usually enjoy. However, there was something about the clean smell in the air that helped her clear her mind of the events that had occurred that day. She involuntary gave a shiver, and if called out for, she felt a warming presence wrap around her shoulders and then felt strong hands press over her arms.

" And why, may I ask, did you feel the need to come and sit on the roof of a two hundred foot tower and watch a thunderstorm brew?" an amused, familiar voice asked the beautiful red-head as he felt the alien lean into the his lithe frame.

Starfire turned around and looked straight into the masked face of her most trusted friend and boyfriend. " I am not so sure I suppose," she said with a shrug and then wrapped her arms around his neck. " I only wished to 'storm watch' yes? It is interesting how calming it is to watch something so fierce. Is that the weird characteristic Robin?"

" No Star," the youth said with a laugh at his girlfriend's innocence that had not seemed to abate, despite the fact she had lived on Earth for three years now. " There are lots of people who watch storms for pleasure, I guess it's relaxing to them. But, I can think of something a bit more intriguing to do up here right now other than watching this tempest."

Smiling, Starfire arched her head back to meet the raven-haired youth in a kiss, her hand unconsciously running through his locks as he ran a hand down her spine. After the couple finished, they settled on the ledge, Starfire sitting in front of Robin and leaning back into his frame, their hands interlocked in front of her stomach. She marveled for a moment at the changes that such a short period of two years had done to her most beloved friend. She was no longer his height, seeing to he had grown a considerable amount over the last years, and she now had to always crane her head up to see his face. His body, in the like, had only seemed to adapt most admirably to the changes, he still retaining his lithe build but now that build was rather muscled due to his constant training. His hair was still a spiky mess on his head, the spikes now a bit longer so that one or two locks would dangle in front of his face. His eyes were the same intense blue, and known still only to her, which secretly thrilled her even though she urged him to show the others.

She also knew that she no longer looked the same, her body developing curves that sent most of her male admirers wild with desire and longing, and her long, red hair no longer just a straight, boring do. Instead, she decided to get it cut by Jinx, who gave her a stylish layered look, while still retaining a length past her mid-back.

All in all, the pair was a rather attractive couple to the citizens of Jump City.

Starfire gave an audible sigh as she turned her gaze towards the city's center, where all the action had happened earlier. Feeling her anxiety, Robin turned her face to look up at him and asked, " Is anything wrong Star? You seem a little…erm…gloomy."

" Nothing is wrong Robin, I am most-"

Putting a finger to her lips, he interrupted, " Don't try to lie Star, you really are bad at it. Raven truly wasn't kidding."

As Star turned her attention back towards the city, Robin immediately grasped what was bothering her. " This has to do with today," he stated, not questioning her at all. " You're upset with what happened today at the center downtown today."

" Was there no other way Robin?" she asked sadly. " Was there truly no other means of which to defeat the Blob today?"

" No Star," Robin answered her quietly. " He refused to let go of the two kids, he was willing to sacrifice their lives in order to preserve his own skin. Cyborg had no choice but to hit him with the beam from behind…it was the only way Raven could think of in order to get the two little girls out of harms way. We didn't…I didn't mean for him to fall off the ledge…it just sort of happened…but, I'm sorry you had to see that happen."

" Is he dead Robin?"

" No," he replied with a sigh. " But, he damaged a good part of his brain, all but leaving his most basic motor functions intact. He, uh, he's what we call a vegetable now. He's alive, but has no thought whatsoever. He just exists."

"Oh!" Starfire breathed out as she felt herself start to cry. Robin let her bury her face in his shoulder, let her leak her pain out, as he himself was amazed at the amount of compassion the young woman he was holding held for others. He held her for a minute, and then loosened his hold as he felt her gain control again.

As she wiped her eyes with her hands, she asked, " I look horrific do I not?"

" You look beautiful Star," Robin said has he used his thumb to wipe away the rest of her tears. He then rested his hand on her neck, and brought her into another kiss, which she immediately responded to. Just as the two started to heat up, Robin's communicator started to beep incessantly, breaking up the two lovers. Starfire stifled a laugh as Robin glared at the piece of machinery, his eyes promising to shred the little device to pieces if they could.

Flipping it open, he saw Cyborg's large, happy face come into to view.

" Whatever it is, it better be good Cyborg."

" Just get down here man," Cyborg said happily back to the terse Robin. " We have a bit of a surprise down here waiting if you hurry."

With that, Cyborg cut off the transmission, leaving a fuzzy screen, and two baffled but curious young adults. Robin hoisted himself to his feet, and then took Starfire's hand and helped her up as well.

" I guess we should head down there uh?" Robin asked with a silly grin on his face.

" Yes," Starfire said as she smiled her slightly swollen lips. " I am most curious as to what this 'surprise' Cyborg as referenced to. I am hoping it is not like Beast Boy's surprise of pouring pudding on people's heads as they walked through the entry way."

" Me either," Robin said shortly as he remembered how hard it had been to get all the brown pudding out of his hair and uniform. " But, promise me we can finish, _this_, later on."

" It's a promise," Starfire said as she grabbed her boyfriend's hand and headed towards the stairwell back inside, neither noticing the violent turn the storm took as they both entered the tower.

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It was a stormy night in Metropolis as well, so stormy that Vanessa was finding it hard to sleep with her acute, animal hearing. She lay awake in bed, trying to focus on how she would go about escaping from this infernal hellhole. So far, she had not been able to produce a working plan as of yet, never testing them herself, she would always send another inmate to do it, and make a note of it when the inmate was put to death for attempting to get free. It didn't bother her that she lost these women's lives; they were merely a statistic that she needed to analyze.

As Viper, she had always been able to come up with brilliant plans to do whatever she needed to accomplish. But now, as Vanessa Bowman, she was finding that her plans didn't really end up being as brilliant as she would have thought before. She was by no means throwing in the towel just yet; she was merely becoming frustrated at her ineptitude with finding a way out of the infamous penitentiary she now resided in. So, she continued to plot in her head, losing herself in the logical reasoning that she barely noticed a rather loud boom from the opposite side of the complex. She did, however, notice when she heard the screaming of guards as they tried to fight off whatever force was entering their domain. Raising herself from her bunk, she found that it was already empty of her inmates, and decided to find out just what was causing such a commotion.

What she found brought her back to her senses in such acuity that she could barely all the wonderful sights around her. Chaos. Pure chaos was occurring everywhere she looked, from dead guards, to dead inmates, their organs and life blood rent all over the place in a gory mess that would have put Carrie to shame. She inhaled deeply the nauseating stench of spilled bowels of the ones who had been pierced through he abdomen, filling her up with such elation that she thought she would start giggling. She reached down, and bathed her hand in something's spilt blood, and brought the hand to her mouth to taste what had been denied to her for two, long years. A chuckle caused her to turn around sharply, and she narrowed her eyes in glee at who she found looking at her though the smoking flames and burning flesh.

" I heard you were bored my dear girl," a cold, heartless voice drawled as he addressed the petite girl in front of him. " So, I took the liberty of letting you loose onto the populace that imprisoned you. Are you ready to become my apprentice once more my child?"

Wiping her hand across her face to smear the blood as close to her as she could, Vanessa, now Viper once more, turned to regard her releaser with a bone-chilling smile. " Why yes Slade, I think I am."

The two walked out together, and let Slade's robots finish wrenching the once proud Metropolis Penal complex down in on itself. Viper turned her face to the sky and sent a mental message to anyone in the League who might hear her. ' I'm back you bastards, and I'm really pissed off."

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**A/N: **Well, there you guys go! I hope it was interesting enough for the first chapter, and I hope it wasn't all that graphic, but that's why the rating is what it is.

I'll try to get the next one out pretty soon, but again, expect it to take awhile…I really will try to update soon though.

Oh, and if you guys like my writing, take a gander at my next attempt at a fic, it's not TT, but I think it'll be really good!

Until next time guys, I'm out!

Osco


	2. Reunions

**A/N: **Why hello everyone again! I know, it's been like a month, but I've been seriously busy w/ everything lately…but, it's finally starting to ease up a bit seeing as to graduation being two days away! In fact, I'm writing this chapter on my brand new lap-top! Isn't it exciting!

All righty then readers, I can no longer use lyrics in my fics anymore, so I kinda had to rework this chapter a bit. I think it's okay though. Probably won't be as long as usual, but at least I'm getting it out!

Oh, and I don't own the poem used in this chapter...it's from the Mother Goose book.

If you wanna see the disclaimer, check out the first chapter.

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**Chapter 2: Reunions**

Both Starfire and Robin hurried down the many flights of stairs to see what the 'big surprise' Cyborg had hinted at. They finally reached the common room floor, and Robin reached over to press the button to open the heavy, metal door. When Starfire entered the room she saw everyone, including the morose Raven, crowded around the couch with some version of a smile on their features. Grabbing the beautiful red-head's hand, Robin walked purposefully towards the center of the room, when he noticed that there were figures sitting on the couch.

"Ahren…Lily!" Robin asked incredulously when he saw the brown-haired young man and woman turn around on the couch to face the entering couple. Starfire let out a squeal of delight and rushed over to envelope the lavender-eyed lady in a bone-crushing hug.

"Oh my friend!" Starfire exclaimed as she squeezed her long-lost comrade. "I am so exalted to see you again! Please tell me, are excited as well?"

"Of course Star," Lily said with a wheezing laugh as she disengaged herself from the alien's embrace. "I always will remember those hugs of yours though."

As the two females reunited, Robin and Ahren exchanged handshakes and patted each other's arms. Slightly smirking, Robin asked the brown-eyed boy, "So, what brings you back to Titan Tower? I mean, you've been gone for long time, two yeas uh?"

"Well," Ahren said, his smile faltering. "Circumstances kind of compelled us to come back. If it's okay, Lily and I were kind of hoping we could take up your former offer and take up residency here. Nothing permanent mind you, but for the time being become a surrogate part of your team."

Looking at the unusual pair in front of him, Robin glanced at each of his team members, noting the looks of approval in each of their eyes. He rested his gaze on Raven for a second, detecting a look of suspicion in her eyes. " Of course Ahren," he said after a moment of pause. " You guys are welcome here anytime, two years won't change that fact. I think Cyborg knows where all the spare rooms are, he can lead you guys there, and I have some work I need to take care of."

" Come on y'all," Cyborg said as he patted a large hand on Ahren's back to guide him out of the common room. " I know the perfect room for you two."

As Cyborg and Jinx led Ahren out, Starfire still clinging to Lily following closely after, Beastboy stopped for a second as he noticed that Raven wasn't following either.

" Hey," he called out to his gothic girlfriend as the others continued to walk out of the room. " Are you coming Rae? I know you're happy to see them, even if you pretend like you're not."

Turning an expressionless face towards her significant other, Raven shook her head at Beastboy and turned her backs towards him once more. " I need to talk to Robin about something. I'm sure you all will be perfectly capable in showing our newest house-guests their rooms."

Giving the beautiful Goth one last concerned look, Beastboy turned around with a shrug and hurried to catch up with the departed tour group.

As Raven waited for Beastboy to leave, she focused her attention on the raven-haired youth in front of her. She calmly moved over to where he was seated and whispered in his hear, " So, you noticed it too."

Rising from his seat to fully face the girl, Robin gave a nod and said, " Yeah, I did. They seemed nervous about something, and it must be something big for it to drive them back here. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for their help for sure, but it is slightly curious as to why they would choose to show up all of a sudden without so much s a call to let us know."

" I don't like it Robin," Raven said with a menace in her voice. " Their secretive manner reminds me of someone we took in a long time ago once. Someone we thought was our friend, only to have her turn on us, only to have her betray us to our biggest enemy. I don't trust them."

" They saved my life Raven," Robin said simply, not backing down to the sound of her voice. " They will have my respect and trust for that always. No, I'm not worried about them turning on us, I'm worried about the fear that I saw in Ahren's eyes when we met. I saw nervousness in Lily's face as well, it all just bodes at something lurking in the shadows, something that's waiting for the right moment to strike out at us. That's what worries me Raven, not some past suspicion of anyone new becoming a member of the team. I thought you would have gotten over that after Jinx joined."

Shaking her head in frustration, Raven turned away and started to walk towards the door to her room. She stopped at the elevator door, and turned back to face her young leader. " It's not that I don't trust Lily and Ahren, it's that I don't trust what their intents are. All I keep thinking about was how they 'helped' us last time. I mean, they could have told us the contents of what he saw at anytime, but those two X-factors waited until the last possible moment to reveal themselves to us, and it almost cost us you Robin. I don't think we fully came to understand that last time they were here because we were just so happy you weren't dead, but when they left, it gave me some time to think about the whole situation.

" Think about it Robin, those two seemed much more interested in catching Viper than helping you at all. It seemed as if to be a second thought to me. Those two were willing to sacrifice _your_ life in order to capture what they were after. Does that make them trustworthy? Does that make them all that different from Slade?" She then turned away from the surprised and shocked young man, and closed the metal gate as she headed up towards her room.

Robin stood still for a moment, unable to really move as he tried to comprehend the information Raven had just given him. ' Could she be right?' Robin thought to himself as he ran a shaky hand through his jet-black hair. ' Are they really here for their own purposes and not to help us? Were they just using me to catch…'

He found he couldn't even think the name without shuddering, the memory of what had transpired down in that lab two years ago still as fresh is his mind as if it had happened yesterday. His hand unconsciously ran down from his head to rest over the scar he had on his abdomen. He could still remember the way that 'girl' looked as they were fighting, could still remember her vicious sword sliding into his body as if it was butter. However, that wasn't the worse part of the memory. The part that still haunted him to this day was how she had forced her mouth over his as he lay helpless on the floor. He knew she would have gone further if not for Ahren flinging her across the room, and he would not have been able to do a thing to stop it.

He felt a fear grow within him as he thought of what could've happened, a fear and a shame that made him hate himself for not being able to stop Viper, no matter how hurt he was. He had let his team down when she had slid her tongue into his mouth. He had let his Starfire down.

As he stared into the darkness of the common room, the moonlight hidden from the windowby the raging tempest outside, Robin didn't notice his mask become soaked in tears.

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Both and Ahren and Lily temporarily forgot about the unpleasantness of their reason for being in Jump City for a moment as they both admired the simple blue background of their new dwellings. It reminded Lily of the ocean around her native home of Ireland, giving her a nostalgic feeling she had not felt for some time. She heaved a sigh as she returned her attention to unpacking her belongings and putting them away in their new homes. She almost started to cry as she hung up her shirts in the closet she and Ahren were sharing, but quickly pushed the feeling aside as she observed her boyfriend looking at her. She didn't want expose weakness in front of him, wanted to keep a strong face on over her fears.

" I know something's wrong Lil," Ahren said with a sigh as he walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. " I'm telepathic remember. Want to tell me freely, or are you going to make me read your mind?"

Heaving a sigh, Lily said quietly, " I'm just so worried that what I fear is going to happen to the team. I know that distrust is going to spread through this Tower like a weed, killing all living things in its path, and there's nothing I can do to stop it! I just feel so helpless!"

Letting her cry out all of her worries, Ahren cradled his love's head against his chest and murmured comforting words in her ear, all the while trying to convince himself they were true. ' I know how you feel Lily. This team can't afford to lose him, they just can't. But, if they knew the truth of what is going on, they'll just provide her with an easier target. After all, that is what she requested Clark to do…I hope my vision is wrong again, for that kid's sake.'

Composing herself, Lily lifted her head, and planted a gentle kiss on Ahren's lips, then pulled her head back to look into his eyes. " Do you think we'll be able to help Ahren? I mean, your vision doesn't bode well for our side, and I don't like the idea of hiding the truth from them…it just doesn't seem like it'll help him out at all."

" We have to Lil," Ahren sighed back to his lilac-eyed girlfriend. " For the time being, he's safer not knowing than anything else."

A strike of lightning outside drew the couple's attention to the maelstrom happening outside their window. Clasping each others' hands, the pair looked outward to the city, knowing all to well the danger that lurked within it that was just waiting for the opportune moment to attack.

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Marna Wimble was going to miss her curfew, and she knew it. The rain and wind was making it awfully hard for her to see where she was going on her scooter, not to mention the condition of the sidewalk as well. For being such a bright little ten-year old, Marna certainly didn't have such great common sense.

She wasn't even supposed to be out this late, and certainly not out in such a violent storm, but her father wouldn't let her spend the night at her friend's house and he wasn't able to pick her up. So, she was forced to make her way back home on the pathetic little scooter she had received as a gift for Christmas a year earlier. The one good thing about the whole situation was that she lived only about five minutes away from her friend's house, but that was drastically changing as the wind forced her to stop yet again, and hide behind a wall of an alley to stave off the biting rain.

As she waited for a moment, she heard a sound from the end of the alley way, almost too soft to be heard at first. Deciding to hurry the rest of the way home, Marna scooted back into the storm and pushed as fast as she could in the direction of her house. She could then definitely hear footfalls behind her, this time increased in pace and much closer than before. A panic started to grow within the little girl as she pushed faster against the sidewalk, her blond hair whipping against her face. He could see her house as she turned a corner, and a sense of hope started to rise within her, only to come crashing down when a pair of strong hands grasped her arms, and yanked her off the scooter. The last thing poor, little Marna knew was a pair of cold, merciless yellow eyes staring at her a she felt a blow hit her on the head. A pair of eyes that promised her death, no matter how much she pleaded.

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Raven and Jinx both woke with a start as they both felt an immense amount of pain coming from an unknown source. But, as quickly as it had come, it disappeared just as quickly, so both resolved to think about more in the morning a sleep once more overtook them.

However, on the opposite side of the Tower, a brown-haired youth sat up against the window with his legs curled up to his chest as he tried to stave off the screams he heard of a poor little girl being tortured to the death at the hands of a mad-woman. Unable to block out the cries, he rested his head against his forearms, and cried for the loss of an innocentlife he could not prevent.

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She had to admit, the girl had been pretty entertaining as she begged for mercy and for her parents to rescue her. Viper had calmly explained why the little girl was being punished as she flayed her alive and impaled her through the torso once all the skin had been removed. It was because of a foolish little boy who thought he could defy her, she explained to the very conscious girl, for Viper had recently developed a potion that could keep her victims aware much longer than normally possible under such pain. This was merely her statistic she needed to make sure it would work on her true target. Another meaningless statistic in order to achieve her goal.

As she finished wiping off her blade, she slid it back into the scabbard as she continued onto the next phase of her plot. You see, this girl served another purpose to Viper in the grand scheme of things; she was the bait she needed, either that or simply a way to convey a message to long-lost friend.

Viper stepped up to the ruined corpse of Marna Wimble, wafting in the horrid smells of spilled bowels and intestines that permeated the room, as she bathed her hands in the girl's spilt blood. She then started to write a poem on the side of the wall so it would be sure to be in plain view of anyone walking by the next morning. As she continued in her macabre sense of fulfillment, Viper didn't notice Slade walk up behind her and look at her handiwork.

" I suppose you mean this all for a certain someone my dear apprentice," he said with an eerie calm that should have been impossible considering the circumstances. " You really do seem to have an interest in him other than simply killing him, why else would you go through such an extensive way to get his attention?"

" Well Slade," Viper said as she continued to write the poem on the wall in the girl's blood. " I've always been an over-achiever in life. And what can I say? I wouldn't mind to taste him one more time before I send his ruined remains up to the Justice League to make them remember they don't fuck with me." She then cast Slade an evil look that would've put Lucifer to shame and hissed, " Besides, I like it when they're in love with someone else…it makes it so much more enjoyable for me. That's why love is going to end up causing your dear former apprentice more pain than you could've ever inflicted on him before! Don't worry though Slade, I'll let you hear his screams for a bit."

Finally finished with her artwork, Viper then pinned a note to the dead girl's body, and calmly walked out of the abandoned house's open garage with her teacher, casting one more satisfied glance at her display before fading back into the swirling storm from whence she had came.

The north wind doth blow,  
And we shall have snow,  
And what will poor robin do then,  
Poor thing?  
He'll sit in a barn,  
And keep himself warm,  
And hide his head under his wing,  
Poor thing!

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**A/N: **Well, there's chapter two! I know there was some pretty graphic stuff in this chapter, but I'm telling you guys, that is only a taste of what's yet to come! This fic is a lot darker than Trust as I have said before, so just be aware. Sorry about the length though…but at least I'm getting it out! The next chapter will be longer, and It'll have a good fight scene in there, as well as some angsty and romantic moments!

Remember to review you guys! It keeps me motivated to keep writing!

Oh, and if you guys couldn't ell, I really like to torture my favorite characters in my fics, so all you Robin fans…I'm sorry ahead of time.

Osco


	3. The Snake Strikes

**A/N: **Why hello again all my readers. I know it's kinda been awhile since I've updated and I was feeling sorta guilty. I have been super-duper busy it's unreal, and I'm working a lot more hours at work. Not to mention the whole college thing is starting to loom around the corner!

But, enough about me and all my problems. I made sure that this chapter was good and long, so I hope you all enjoy!

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**Chapter 3: The Snake Strikes**

There was a loud slam below the common room as the heavy punching bag was knocked again into the wall of the training room the Titans used as part of their conditioning. It was no secret who was causing the din, but not one of the Titans wished to go downstairs and try to speak with their leader when he got like this. It's not to say that the Titans weren't brave, they just knew that their reclusive friend wanted nothing to do with them right now, not even comfort from his beautiful alien. So, the members of the crime-fighting group did a number of different things to try to keep themselves occupied as long as they could, and try to keep themselves from remembering the grisly display they had looked upon earlier that day.

As Cyborg and Beastboy continued their ritual of race car driving via a game station, the two winced as they heard the bag crash again, and shared a look that told the other that he did not know the answer to their newest problem. Cyborg glanced over his huge shoulder to get a glimpse of how Starfire was faring, and his heart nearly broke to see her looking so forlorn. It was unnatural for someone like her to be so depressed, and he could see worry etched all over Jinx's face as she tried again, hopelessly, to get the alien to laugh. Heaving a sigh, the cybernetic young man turned back towards the console and the green changeling beside him.

" I just don't know man," Cyborg said quietly as he shrugged his shoulders at his friend next to him. " Jinx as been trying for the past hour to get Star to smile, and she hasn't even cracked a grin! I mean, I know she's upset, but she needs to realize that we always face threats once in awhile. We'll get through just fine, like always."

Beastboy noticed the definite doubt in his friend's voice in the last statement before he grew silent once more. He was more than just worried, Beastboy discovered just then, he was scared…they all were when he thought about it. Beastboy's attention shifted to his dark-haired girlfriend as she sat beside him on the couch after phasing out of the ceiling in a black swirl of energy.

" You sure sound confident there Cyborg," Raven said in a monotone voice that chilled Beastboy to the core, even though they had been dating for two years. " I'm sure we'll be just dandy. You've got to be kidding. Our mortal nemesis just unleashed an animal-like woman whose sole purpose is to send the Justice League Robin's body parts in a lunch box, and that woman is now starting to terrorize innocent victims in order to get our leader's attention long enough to accomplish her goal…yea Cyborg, we'll be just fine."

As Cyborg merely chose to glower at the gothic beauty, Beastboy tried to reconcile things before they got out of hand. " Rae, we don't know that's her reason for being here. She might just want to be Slade's apprentice and take over the world like every other bad guy out there. We really don't know anything."

" Why write that poem then Gar?" Raven asked, using his real name in a much gentler voice then before. " Why go through all that trouble of torturing an innocent little girl and then writing a poem on the wall, in the girl's blood, about a robin? That doesn't sound like wanting to take over the world to me, it just sounds like a psychotic murderer trying to get the attention of her next victim."

" What I want to know," Jinx said as she sat beside Cyborg, after relinquishing her former task to Lily. " Is why we weren't told about her escape from prison. I mean, it must have taken Slade and Viper a good amount of time to travel incognito from Metropolis to Jump City, and we never even got so much as a memo. She was our problem first after all."

" We weren't told because they didn't want us to know," Raven said with a hint of anger in her voice. " We aren't being told anything outside of what they think we should know, and I'm pretty sure I know who their representatives are." Raven shot a glare at the brown-haired, lavender-eyed girl seated across from the red-headed Starfire. Lily looked up, saw the glare, returned a composed stare back, and then quietly excused herself from Starfire's company and quickly walked out of the room.

" Dude," Beastboy said as he witnessed the exchange between Raven and Lily. " No way! She can't be a bad guy, she saved Rob's life that one time remember? Her and Ahren are here to help, like last time, why would they keep stuff from us?"

As Raven shrugged her shoulders at his response, Beastboy looked over at the neighboring couple and saw suspicion creep into their eyes. The more he thought about it, even if he didn't want to agree with the theory, the more Beastboy came to see the truth in his girlfriend's words. Even though the odd pair had helped them out before, they seemed to have strange reasons of their own for being in Jump City in the first place. I f Ahren really could see the future, as both he and Lily claimed he could, then why wasn't he able to have more answers for them concerning Viper, a subject that appeared to trigger visions. It all just started to make Beastboy have a headache, and he promptly got up from the couch, walked over to the window, and laid his head against the cool surface.

He felt an arm snake around his waist, and a head rest itself on his shoulder. It wasn't exactly normal for Raven to be so affectionate, but after two years of solid dating, it wasn't unheard of her to act as such…especially when he was upset.

" I know it doesn't help to think of them as enemies, and when you stop and think about, they really aren't."

Beastboy then turned himself around to find only him and Raven left in the common room. He placed his hands on her upper arms as she locked her hands behind his neck, and then Beastboy leaned his head down towards hers to where their noses were nearly touching.

" But," she continued in a barely audible whisper. " It would be worse if we don't realize what they are doing right now. We can't risk it with this one, Viper is much too dangerous to do that with, or we'll end up losing much more than we did last time. This team won't survive without either of them."

He knew of whom she was speaking of, and simply nodded his head in agreement at her statement. " I know," he said softly before he leaned down and placed his lips over hers, for a moment whisking them both away form their troubles and worries for a short while before reality had to whisk them back.

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_Slam_

Robin merely grunted as he walked over to pick up the fallen punching bag yet again. It had become a ritual for him in the past hour or so, the hitting, the bag falling, him putting it back where it started, and then the hitting again. The pain in his hands was forgotten, his fatigue pushed aside, and the murmurs from outside the gym doors were unheard and unanswered. He was locked away inside himself, and wasn't letting anyone in anytime soon as far as he was concerned. He just kept on hitting and kicking the bag, not noticing the bleeding knuckles or broken toenails he was receiving, until it once again swung into the wall and fell to the floor heavily.

_Slam._

This time, Robin did not follow his ritual, to caught up in what he was seeing on the floor where the bag was. He tried to blink the image away, tried to think of anything else he could think of to push it out of his head. But, he couldn't stop.

All he saw was a mangled, flayed, and rotting corpse of what once had been a little girl. That, and a poem written on the wall that was about a robin. A poem that was a message to him from the one person in the world he truly feared. A message that took the life away from the innocent girl who had incidentally been a fan of Robin's as well.

It all was too coincidental; Marna Wimble had not been some randomly picked girl for a psychopathic killer. She had been chosen carefully, after some study probably, and picked because of who she idolized and who she had a little girl's crush on. She had been chosen by Viper to extend a challenge to him, and him alone. Her family had been put through this awful tragedy because of who he was, and a killer's ambition to kill him. It was all his fault, all of it, everything.

He could still see her eyes, wide open and frightened even in her death. They were no longer smiling brown irises, but red ones that spoke of pain and suffering. Her ruined face told stories of what might have been done to her other than the flaying, and it sickened Robin at heart. He sank to his knees, and could not muster the energy to get back to his feet, so naturally, he couldn't stop the person from walking into the gym.

" How did you get in?" Robin asked in a lifeless voice that sounded much to hollow for him.

" Uh, I'm psychic remember?" Ahren answered jovially as he closed the locked gym doors. " Locks don't really stop me, deadbolts will though, maybe you should install those in the tower."

He finished the last sentence with a chuckle, hoping to arouse some type of emotion out of the raven-haired youth. Seeing that it wasn't working, his tone turned serious and he said, " Or you know, you could sit up here and wallow in self-pity over something you had no power to prevent."

" For once in your life Ahren," Robin said as he rose off the floor, the anger in him giving him fuel to move. " Just shut the hell up."

" Oh, someone's got their panties in a twist eh?"

" Just shut up!"

" Okay," Ahren said as he closed the distance between himself and Robin, knowing all to well that the other might punch him. " We now know that saying 'shut up' really loudly isn't going to work. How about saying 'go screw yourself' instead."

Robin's eyes narrowed into slits as his fist curled into a ball, ready to punch the other if he said anymore.

" What, that to crude for you?"

Unable to keep his anger in check any longer, Robin lashed out at Ahren, catching the brown-haired young man with a punch in the head. Ahren staggered back, but when Robin tried to wield a round-house kick to the same area, the psychic was ready and stopped the foot in mid-air. He then threw Robin into the wall using his hold over the hero's leg, causing another loud noise to be heard.

_Slam._

" Great," Ahren said calmly as Robin pushed himself gingerly off the floor to face the psychic again. " Now that we've got that out of the way, you ready to talk about why you're acting so damn stupid?"

Robin didn't say anything, just glared at the young man in font of him with his masked, blue eyes.

" No? Well, how about I play psychiatrist and you are my patient? Okay now, let us zee," He started saying in a horrible German accent. " The problem vith you is your inability the let zee past go yes? You see something horrible, and you automatically blame yourself for its occurrence even though there vas nothing you could have done to prevent zee trouble from happening." He dropped the accent, and walked over to where Robin was standing, not touching him, but a comforting presence nonetheless. " I know you think the girl's death was your fault, but it wasn't Robin. She was killed because there is a psychopath out there whose main goal is to weaken you so she can kill you. Maybe if we had known she was so determined to get your attention in the first place, maybe we could have prevented Marna's death, but then Viper would have just selected a new target. There was nothing we could have done."

" Really?" Robin said quietly after a moments quiet. " There was nothing we could've done? I think you could've told us about Viper in the first place, instead of waiting around for the opportune moment. I think both you and Lily are keeping things from us, your friends, things that concern Viper, and for some reason you won't tell us."

" You've been talking with Raven haven't you," Ahren asked sadly.

" What if I have! Does it mean that she was right about you the whole time? That you two are here to achieve some kind of mission for the League, and we are just your pawns in this game? Is that what you think this is, a game!"

" No," Ahren answered smoothly, careful to keep is voice and power under control. " But would knowing she was here really make all that big a difference in what happened here today?"

" It might've," Robin said as he started to turn away from Ahren. " But I guess we won't find out will we?"

" No," Ahren called out angrily and using his power to whirl Robin back around to face him. " It would not have! It would have made no difference at all! You would still be blaming yourself, the Titans would still be mistrustful of us, and Viper would still be in the city. Nothing would've changed! I tell what I know when I can and when it's important to know… Knowledge is not necessarily a gift Robin, it can lead even the strongest down a dark path if they try to seek it. I can't tell you everything I know, because then it could change what could happen, I wish it was different, but it's not."

Robin stood there for a moment, not saying anything to his dismal looking companion. Then, taking a deep breath he said, " Maybe your right Ahren. Maybe we shouldn't know certain things because it may irrevocably affect our future, but you compromised my trust in you in the process. I don't know when you're telling the truth or not now…and I don't know if I can be friends with someone like that. So, now that you've thoroughly pissed me off, maybe you should just leave me alone like I asked to be. You have no idea what the hell I'm thinking about and don't even try to read my mind you son of a bitch."

Compressing his lips into a sad frown, Ahren gave a nod and headed out the door. Pausing in the frame for a moment, he concentrated on the fallen punching bag, and placed it back on its hooks. " I hope one day you understand what I've told you Robin. Before you realize that it's too late to do otherwise." And with that, he left the room, closing the doors behind him.

Robin stared at the door for a while, not really knowing what is feelings were toward the psychic at the moment. He wanted to trust him, but didn't know if he could now due to the present situation. While thoughts jumbled around in his head, Robin wrapped his hands in tape once more and began his ritual again.

_Slam._

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The following week passed in uneasy silence for the teenage superheroes that were verging on adulthood. Distrust grew throughout the Tower like a weed in the park, poisoning everything it touched. Everyone had learned of Robin's fight with Ahren, and there was no denying the tension between the two newest Titans and the others. Lily had tried to placate the simmering anger, but was met with a sharp rebuttal from Raven who wanted nothing to do with her and Ahren until they told the truth of all they knew. Robin, while no longer shut in the gym, was avoiding everyone and didn't speak unless it was urgent. Ahren wouldn't even look at the reclusive leader when the team was briefed, and refused to accommodate Raven's demand. Beastboy, Cyborg, and Jinx all ignored the odd guests, and barely spoke civilly to them unless it was required.

Starfire was thanking X'Hal that there had been hardly any crimes that week.

She sat on the roof, her thinking spot, and contemplated how she could mend the broken ties within her home. Problem was, she didn't quite understand why everyone was angry at each other. She heaved a sigh, wishing Robin was up there with her, and fixed her gaze on the city's skyline, hoping to catch a glimpse of where the person who was the root of all their disputes was hiding. She looked up as she heard the door to the roof open, hopeful to a certain black-haired young man, but her smile drooped as she saw it was a lavender-eyed young woman.

" Yeah," Lily said with a heavy voice. " I guess you don't want to see me either. I'll just-"

" No friend!" Starfire exclaimed with a smile and then motioned Lily towards her with a wave. " I do wish to speak with you and perhaps do the 'hanging out' as well. Would you please stay in my presence?"

Nodding her head with a look of obvious relief on her face, the brown-haired beauty walked over to the alien and sat beside her. The two girls, so close to becoming women, sat in silence for a bit, and then Starfire broke it with a simple question.

" Lily, why are all of our companions so angry with each other?"

" Well," Lily said after a moment of contemplation. " I suppose it's mainly because of what Ahren said to Robin. They all think that Ahren's out of line telling your leader what to do."

" I was not aware there was a line," Starfire said with such innocence, it drew a smile from the other girl. " But, Raven was angry before that. She is not the only Titan intune with her feelings, I am also, and can sense when people feel a certain way. She was angry right after we sighted that…display."

Lily held her tongue, aware that Starfire was staring at her, waiting for an answer. Breathing in deeply, she turned to face the princess and said slowly, " Your right Star…Raven was angry with us before the fight…everyone else just became angry with us afterwards. I guess it's because Ahren and I are keeping things from all of you. I wishI could tell you all we know, even all Ahren knows, but we just can't. If what he sees is revealed, it can irrevocably change the outcome. We thought Raven would understand that better than anyone, but the betrayal committed by Terra left her mistrustful of everyone she cannot read. People like Ahren…empaths just can't connect with their minds, they're way to complex! Raven thinks we are using you guys to catch Viper, and will use any methods necessary."

" That is ridiculous," Starfire said in a dismissive voice. " Just because one will not let another read their emotions does not signify betrayal. On Tamaran, there are those among us who have the ability to read the future in the stars. My people know it would be disastrous if they ever revealed all they see…often what they may see can be misconstrued into meaning something that it does not."

" Exactly," Lily said in happiness that at least one Titan realized what Ahren was doing. " That's absolutely right! I used to pester Ahren to tell me everything of what he sees, especially if they had something to do with me. Well, he once divulged to me one of his visions, and I interpreted it as something different than what it actually meant, and needless to say, I messed up and Ahren got terribly hurt. I remember asking him why he didn't stop me, and he told me that I needed to learn the lesson the same way he had…that we can't ever possibly predict the future by what a picture may show us. They are only possibilities."

" Is that why you did not aid us last time until Robin was damaged?" Starfire asked, finally understanding the circumstances around one of Ahren's fateful visions.

" Yep," Lily said, impressed with the other's intuition. " I thought it meant that we needed to help you, I mean Ahren had the vision. But, he wasn't so sure about the whole thing, he thought that if we revealed ourselves too soon that Slade and Viper would change their plans, and we would lose our chance to help out." Lily then fixed Starfire with a gaze and said, " We were not using Robin as bait to lure out Viper Star. No matter what anyone thinks, we would never do that."

Starfire nodded, believing the words even before the other spoke them. She reached over and gave Lily's hand a squeeze of reassurance, and then directed her gaze to the sky again. " Everything is all 'shot to heck' is it not Lily?" she asked in a whisper.

" Maybe it is," she answered. " But that's why we're here after all, to make everything clear again. It may just take a little longer than we hoped."

Starfire smiled a sad smile and then nodded her head, trusting that Lily was right. She was about to comment on how she was so upset by how Robin was acting, finding that she was able to talk about those things with the purple-eyed girl, when the alarm went off, summoning everyone to the common room. She rose, and Lily after her, swallowing her own discomfort to help the denizens of her city.

" I'm happy you understand what we're trying to do Starfire of Tamaran," Lily said as they descended down the stair shaft. " After all, auguries are oft confusing and misleading, meaning one thing and showing something else entirely. I'm happy you understand what Ahren is going through right now."

Smiling, Starfire whipped her head around to face Lily's, sending her red hair whirling around as well. " It is one of the rules after all yes?"

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She smiled to herself as she watched her handiwork take effect, all those times of watching _Kindergarten Cop _were finally paying off. Soon the screams would start, and then panic would ensue, and finally the police would call to get the aid of the Teen Titans to help the situation. She already knew exactly what she was going to do, Slade be damned as far as she was concerned. He was an acceptable loss if she achieved her goal, a trade in her mind.

The smoke started to rise from the library windows, and the first of the panicked yells began, soon the police and firefighting departments would arrive to help stop every parent's nightmare from occurring. She calmly saw Slade's robots start to fire at the civilians watching the horrific scene unfold before them, and then strode over to the roof door, and headed back down into the school to grab her assurance. She inhaled deeply, her animal instincts smelling the fear in the air, and she felt a wave of satisfaction sweep through her.

It was going to be a good day for Vanessa Bowman.

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By the time the Titans, Ahren, and Lily arrived at the school fire scene, total chaos had enveloped the area as firefighters struggled to put out the enormous, wicked fire from destroying the school, people were screaming to get their children out and running from the robots attacking the streets. Hundreds of children could be seen evacuating the building, but Robin knew that there was more trapped inside, and he concocted his orders in less than a minute of arriving.

" Cyborg, you take Beastboy and Lily to get those kids out of the school. Raven, you and Starfire are going to demolish those Slade bots and stop their march before they start messing with the firefighters, Jinx, you and I are going to track down Slade and stop him, and Ahren, you make damn sure that fire doesn't spread any further than this school! All right, Titan's go!"

And they did, each attacking their task with everything they had, all fights and disputes put aside in an instant. Cyborg led his group into the school, using Lily's spell casting to keep the flames away from them, Starfire and Raven used all their muster to destroy the bots, making a path for Robin and Jinx who tracked down Slade into the center of his robots.

All the while, Ahren used his limited telekinetic ability to keep the fire from spreading, anger at what was happening fueling his lesser gift with enough strength to follow his order. He could feel the sweat dripping down his entire body as he struggled to contain the flames, every ounce of focus he had attuned to the school. He saw Cyborg's group come out with thirty or so students and faculty members, Lily catching his eyes, his strain obviously showing. When they went back into the school, he knew he wasn't going to be able to continue much longer, his brain screaming at him to stop already.

He felt blood on his lower lip, realizing that his nose now bleeding due to stress, and implored his mind to lend him some extra strength, just long enough for the children to get out of the school. As if his mind had been waiting for him to ask, he felt his entire conscious open up, power flooding through his senses in a rush to get out. In a yell of pain, Ahren was engulfed by his own power, a flash of light encompassing him, and leaving a being with glowing white eyes.

The fire was not going to spread, under any circumstances, even its own death, the being decided then. A being that was once a young man named Ahren O'Brien.

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" We need to hurry Cyborg," Lily said as they reentered the fire engulfed school. " We need to go faster!"

" What do ya think I'm doing girl?" Cyborg yelled back at the girl angrily. He found some kids huddled with their teacher in an abandoned classroom, and motioned them to climb atop Beastboy, who was in a gorilla's form at the moment. " We need to check wherever you feel kids, and BB here can only go so fast when he's carrying six kids and a teacher! We getting them out of here, so just be a little patient would ya!"

" You don't understand Cyborg," Lily shouted angrily as they gathered a few more students around them, Cyborg carrying the smaller ones. " Ahren can't keep up what's he doing! It could kill him to try to use this much power for an extended period of time, and I don't care how mad at him you are right now, I am NOT letting him die here today!"

" Well," Cyborg yelled back, a little worried for the boy outside now. " Let's get the last of them now and let the firefighters take care of the rest." They continued for a bit, grabbing stragglers and leading them out through the smoke, before they decided to turn around and get out.

When they finally did, Cyborg directed the children all towards the emergency workers while Beastboy changed back to his human form. He looked up towards the school, finding the furious fire perfectly contained.

" Yeah, way to go Ahren," he said happily gesturing to Cyborg the spectacle before them. " I guess he's more powerful than we thought uh Cyb-"

The words caught in his throat as he turned around to Lily's gasp and saw something, that was surrounded by what looked like white fire, where Ahren had been standing when they last entered the school. The eyes, which had once been a warm brown color, were now cold and white, showing no compassion or pity to the scene in front of him. Beastboy felt a sharp pang of fear as he stared at the being that once was their friend.

" Oh Ahren," Lily said desolately as she saw the one person she loved in the world nearly lost to the power he feared so much.

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Raven and Starfire, oblivious to the catastrophe over at the school, continued to blast away at the robots, zigzagging and dodging through the red lasers shot up at them. They could see Robin and Jinx encounter Slade as stood confidently in the midst of his robots, and they could see the confrontation begin in almost this slow-motion dance.

Raven, suddenly aware that something was horribly wrong, felt a sharp pain in her mind, a sharp pain that was coming from the school. She looked over, and saw immediately the white flames in the distance, and knew instinctively what was wrong.

" Starfire, you need to immobilize as many of these robots as you can, I need to head over to the school!" Raven hoped she shouted loud enough for Starfire to hear, and then plummeted down to where Jinx was tackling on Slade, giving Robin a reprieve for the moment.

" Raven," Robin said, startled by her sudden appearance. " What are you-"

" I have to head over to the school Robin," Raven said, her fear echoed in her voice, causing Robin to rock back on his heels. " Something horribly wrong is going on with Ahren, and I think we might have a bigger problem than that fire. He's lost control of his power, and he could kill himself and others if someone doesn't reach him. I need to go help him or everything we've done is for nothing."

Nodding in understanding, Robin yelled for her to go, but send Cyborg to help Starfire out. He then focused his attention back on Slade, about to finish what he started two years ago when he suddenly heard a high-pitched scream, whirled about to face the school, and saw two young children banging on an upper floor window. Slade forgotten instantly, the jet-haired youth ran away from the fight and towards the school, determined to save these two children by any means necessary.

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Starfire saw all this from her spot in the sky, as well as the fact that Jinx was starting to falter against Slade's relentless attack. She knew unconsciously what she needed to do, and flew down from the sky, and blasted Slade with a starbolt as she landed beside Jinx.

" Star, what the hell are you doing?" Jinx asked angrily, but with confusion etched in her eyes.

" You are no longer able to combat Slade effectively Jinx," Starfire said in a calm voice. " Our friends have needed to adapt our strategy due to complications, and now I am doing the same. I am undamaged, and most eager to administer the kicking of butt to our foe, and you must now join Cyborg and help destroy these pesky robots."

Jinx stared at the beautiful alien for a moment, realizing that arguing would get her nowhere, and nodded her agreement. " Try not to hurt him too bad Star, bird-boy would be cranky if he didn't get to hit him a couple times," Jinx said with her trademark smirk as she bounded off to try her luck with the Slade bots.

Starfire smiled at her pink-haired friend, and then turned back towards to Slade, as he rose off the ground to get back into a defensive stance. "So my dear," he sneered calmly to the red-head as her eyes glowed a dangerous green shade. " Are you going to fight for your beloved songbird now? If so, let us begin, I am starting to grow a bit bored."

" As you wish Slade," Starfire answered sweetly back. The two foes rushed at each other, a green haze meeting orange and black, thinking they both were deciding the fate of one boy.

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She smiled to herself again as she saw everything snowball like a huge avalanche before her view from an upper level window of the engulfed school building. Everything was happening better than she could have hoped, and soon she finally would have him in her grasp again.

Viper looked over at the two terrified, huddled forms against the wall, her assurance, her leverage to get what she wanted, what she needed. It would all be as she had wished soon.

Soon.

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**A/N: **Okay, you guys know the drill…please review, I promise to not have the next chapter up a month later! You see, I was suffering from a horrible case of writer's block. I knew what I wanted to happen, but I had no idea how I wanted to write it. I am happy to say I'm over it, I got the best idea when I was sleeping, no joke, so I'm good to go!

Oh, and you guys can also thank Rob Thomas, because I wrote this chapter to is CD ( so friggin awesome by the way) and it really inspired me…I WOULD have written the song _This is How a Heart Breaks_ into this chapter, but sadly, I cannot, so sorry!

See you guys next time!

Osco

P.S. Oh, if you guys want to get some major spoilers for my upcoming TT fics, check out my newest DP fic, I'm introducing characters in there that will be in future fics here. I have this belief that everything is connected, so that's why they'll be there!


	4. Bargain with the Devil

**A/N: **Hello again guys! Thanx for all the wonderful reviews, I'm happy you guys weren't wanting to chase me down w/ pitchforks sue to my abysmal updating skills! I'm attempting to rectify that problem, but work is definitely not helping, nor is the prospect of college starting either. But, I will try to ignore all that and update more regularly!

My main goal is trying to get this chapter written before the next HP book comes out, because I will be spending the following days absorbed in that, there isn't really point in me trying to deny that fact !

This is another long one guys…longer than the last and a lot more intense! Enjoy!

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**Chapter 4: Bargain with the Devil**

He sprinted past every rescue worker and school victims that were in his path, ignoring their calls for him to help. He couldn't slow his pace, couldn't stop for his burning lungs, couldn't do anything but reach those two children he saw trapped in the building. It was all he was focused on, all that he cared about; all that he wanted to do at the moment.

Robin stopped when he reached the beginning of the school lawn to gain his bearings and try to devise some sort of plan for getting into the school unnoticed. He glanced to his left and saw rescue workers helping students, teachers, and pedestrians alike with various hurts and problems. He knew if he took that course, he would never get to the top floor in time to get the kids out of the precariously stable school. Ruling that path out, he looked directly in front of him to see the main school doors were caved-in, therefore negating that option. He desperately looked right and saw what Raven must have been talking about, a huge, formidable looking geyser of white fire where he had directed Ahren to keep the fire under control.

For a moment, Robin felt a stab of guilt as he thought of the situation the psychic was in now, according to Raven who was the most knowledgeable about those types of things. It was he who had told Ahren to use every ounce of his power to control the fire, well aware that those powers were channeled more so towards telepathy than telekinetic abilities. But, Robin had been so frustrated with Ahren, he really hadn't cared about that when he assigned the Titans' tasks, even though a small voice told him Raven was better suited for that job. Hoping that his friend would be all right, Robin chose to trust that Raven would know what to do, and focused himself back on what he needed to do. He would apologize later.

Pushing a button on his utility belt decidedly, Robin released his grappling hook, and shot the cable at the roof of the school. If he could not force an entrance through ground level, he would simply go in another way. Gripping his hook tightly, he let himself be hurled towards the rooftop ledge and flipped onto the roof when he flew past the ledge five feet or so. Landing with grace that rivaled a cat's, he retracted his hook back into the belt about his slim waist, and hurried towards the roof door.

Placing a small amount of explosives on the door, Robin crouched down and covered his ears as the blast blew off the hinges, and made his path down into the school. Not wasting a breath, Robin immediately ran into the school, and made his way to the area where he thought the kids were. As he traversed down the charred hallway, Robin noticed that nearly all the flames were gone, only smoldering, smoking patches of building left. He knew that Ahren had achieved this feat, probably driven by his own anger towards himself, Robin admitted to his mind. But at what cost had Ahren gone to, Robin tried to ponder that answer, but found he couldn't find one. He knew if anything happened to the brown-haired young man, Robin wouldn't be able forgive himself for playing a role in his demise.

" Lily wouldn't either," Robin muttered to himself as he started down another corridor towards the window he espied from outside. " She would hate me."

Trying to focus his mind on what he was doing, Robin directed his senses to notice any kinds of movement or sniveling he might hear from behind one of the doors. He came to another turn in the hallway, this one with a window to the grounds of the school, and Robin decided to try and gain some idea of where he was to make sure he wasn't completely going in circles. He gazed out the window, and saw two disturbing sites: one was Raven trapped in an arm grip with a white being that Robin guessed was Ahren. This sort of white fire was swirling around them both, mixing with Raven's own dark energy, and the onlookers( meaning Lily and Beastboy due to Cyborg's departure) wore frightened expressions concerning what was taking place before them between two people they loved.

Forcing himself to look away, Robin was confronted with the second sight, a view of Slade battling a certain red-head. His red-head, to be more precise. Narrowing his eyes, he gathered where he needed to go immediately, determined not to have Starfire fighting that monster any longer than she needed to.

He started to sprint down what looked like an English-devoted hallway, dodging falling pieces of debris as he did so. He actually had to twist his body sideways for a rather large hunk of foundation, but somehow didn't lose his footing, and barely slowed his pace. He ran like a man possessed, ignoring his own discomfort, a talent he was finding quite useful lately. Unbiddenly, a picture of a mangled little girl's corpse sprang into his mind, and he spurred himself quickly past a shaky looking walkway, not caring that it nearly collapsed under even his own slight weight.

He paused as soon as he cleared the walkway, hearing a muffled sob coming from a door on his left. Approaching cautiously, he pressed an ear to the door, and heard a small shuffle of feet come from within. Taking that as all the proof he needed, Robin kicked the door down, and stepped into the abandoned classroom. He spotted the two children instantly, both huddled in a corner of the room. The boy looked about eleven, and the girl he was clutching looked eight or so. It was clear that the two were siblings of some kind, both possessing dark, unruly hair and the same gold-flecked brown eyes, and they were both looking at him as if they had seen a dead man.

He started towards them, trying to project a calming presence and said calmly, " It's all right kids, I'll get you out of here. You don't have to be scared anymore."

To his surprise, the little girl burst into tears, and her brother shook his head, unable to communicate his thoughts. Shifting his eyes to the corner behind Robin and back fearfully, the boy mouthed a single word that, at first, confused the young man.

_Run!_

Suddenly, Robin realized the fear he saw in the children's eyes was not for themselves, but rather for him! Understanding sunk in as he heard a murderous cackle behind him, not mistaking those hissing tones for one minute. Steeling himself against what he knew was going to happen, he turned around and glared at the woman who had haunted his sleep for the past two years.

" Hello Viper."

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Raven wasted no time after informing Robin what was going on, and immediately teleported herself to where the white fire was erupting in a swirl of black energy. She felt herself arrive next to three horrified looking Titans, who all looked over at her in surprise as rose out of the ground and directed her attention to Cyborg.

" Cyborg," she said quickly as he looked over at her. " You need to go help Starfire fight off the robots in my place, she can't handle them by herself."

" But," Cyborg said feebly, not at all like his usual self. " What about Ahren?"

" There's nothing you can do for him Cyborg," Raven said in her usual monotoned voice. " You are needed elsewhere, where you can help. Go. Now."

After a moment's hesitation, he did just as she told, and pelted off towards the robot mass without a second glance behind him. Raven stared at his retreating form until it was out of sight, then she focused her attention on the thing happening in front of her. She was aware of the remaining two staring at her, but tried to ignore it, and focused her thoughts solely on establishing a connection with Ahren's mind.

" Rae," Beastboy asked confusedly. " What are you trying to do?"

" I'm trying to get into his mind and tell him to stop himself."

" Oh," the green changeling replied, unsure of whether or not he should say anything else. He looked over at Lily, who had tears leaking down her face, and decided to follow her example of silence. There was no talk for a few minutes when suddenly the white fire flared up dangerously, causing both Lily and Beastboy to scream and jump back. Beastboy looked over at Raven's face for a second afterwards, enough to see the strain on her face, before she too was thrown back by the erupting flames. She opened her eyes and turned away from the spectacle, back towards him and Lily.

" It didn't work, did it?" Lily asked Raven quietly, focusing her gaze on the white flames, which were now retreating back into the being. " You couldn't get in, could you?"

" No," Raven said angrily, causing her own black energy to flare up and destroy a nearby trashcan. " It's like he isn't even there. His power has completely consumed him, and he's lost far inside himself…I can't reach him by any simple means."

" Simple means?" Beastboy asked. " Does that mean you can still reach him?"

" Maybe," Raven said slowly. " I know a way that might bring him back enough for him to control his gift. I need to actually speak with his gift and see why he's putting up such a fight. But, in order for it to work, I need to know a few things about him first, and I don't know if our 'friends' want that."

Raven shot Lily a look at the last statement, a statement which caused the latter to tense up and shift an icy glare towards the dark girl. " Are you trying to say something on your mind Raven, or simply trying to piss me off? If so on the latter account, right now is not a good idea. My boyfriend could very well destroy us all or himself if we can't snap him out of this trance, and you're still going on about how you think we are hiding things from you that you feel entitled to know? What the hell is your problem? For just one time can you just trust me when I say that you CAN'T KNOW EVERYTHING!"

Both Raven and Beastboy bore similar, shocked expressions at the usually calm girl's outburst. Lily's hands were balled into fists at her side, and her entire, slender frame was shaking in fury at the other girl's caustic remark. Her lavender eyes fixed the other's purple ones with such a furious gaze that Raven decided to try and placate the other before she attacked them.

" Lily," Raven said in forced calm tone. " I don't want to know everything, just things so that I can feel I can trust you. Neither you nor Ahren have really done anything to gain our trust, and I don't hand mine out on a silver platter like others. You knew Viper was back, even knew what she was after, and both of you neglected to tell any of us, but most of all, you kept Robin in the dark, again. We need to know information when it comes, not be kept guessing about what might or might not happen."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a little bit, one where Beastboy would've cracked a joke under normal circumstances, but for now he just stood there as the two girls's glared at each other. He was about to mention that Ahren was still engulfed in the energy when Lily broke the silence.

" Do you really think it would've made any difference if we had told you Viper was back?" Lily asked in a cool voice, and then plowed on before Raven could answer. " If we had said to you all the minute we had walked in, 'Titans, Viper's back, she's going to reap havoc all over Jump City, and is after your leader in a homicidal rage,' right away everything would have ended up for the better? The answer is it would have made a huge difference, for the worse. You all would become so on edge that you would start to slip up against other villains, and always be trying to spot if she was anywhere near.

" Also, Robin would have put himself in greater danger, trying to risk getting rid of her single-handedly because he believes her to be his problem. That's his greatest fault, and you know that. So, Ahren and I tried to devise a way that none of you would need to be worried about her, but that went horribly wrong…for obvious reasons."

Lily stared at Raven, hoping that she got through to the gothic girl on some level. Raven considered her argument for a moment, and realized that it held a good amount of merit, but she still didn't have her biggest question answered.

" Why did you and Ahren come here all those years ago?" Raven asked, not breaking her gaze with the other. " You claimed that Ahren had a vision that Viper was going to kill Robin, but why risk yourselves when the League could've sent someone of theirs to help? Why were you two on some sort of quest that led you to Gotham and later compel you both to travel across the country, farther away from your home, for a nameless, faceless boy?"

Lily said nothing at first, and then she sighed and a tear slid down her cheek. " You really are one of the most intelligent women I've ever met Raven," Lily said in a small, quiet voice that caused both Beastboy and Raven to lean in to hear. " I knew you'd be the first to ask that question. Starfire knew we were hiding the truth behind half-truths, but her customs respected why we had not told you all the entire truth. Do you really want to know Raven? After all, knowledge is oft a burden and it can never be taken back once you know."

Both Raven and Beastboy nodded, now curious as to what could be so terrible a truth that it caused Lily to become so emotional.

" All right. Ahren and I left Ireland all those years ago because of a vision he had concerning the future, and no, it had nothing to do with Robin. It had to do with someone else…someone so powerful that this person had the ability to either make or break existence as we know it to be. Ahren was terrified of his vision, after all it concerned the end of the world…well, at least the end of free will…and he didn't want to think about it again. I urged him to tell me what he remembered, that we should try and stop it from happening, and even though he protested, he finally did what I asked and it ended up triggering another vision…one that put him in a comma for a few days.

" When he woke up, he told me as I cried that I needed to learn the consequences of knowledge…but he told me what he saw then, because he said that he needed my help. He saw hope for this boy, and ironically, it was a girl." She gave them both a wistful smile then and said a bit playfully, " A girl who looked other-worldly ( later we would say Tamaranean), but human as well… a girl with long, jet-black hair who had an image of a robin behind her."

While Beastboy felt his jaw drop at realization of whom Ahren could've seen. " He saw Robin and Star's kid!" he asked excitedly.

" Maybe," Lily said simply. " But he also saw a future where she didn't exist, and that was too much for him to bear…maybe that future will still come to pass if she does exist, but Ahren decided to try everything in his power to prevent that from happening. With nothing but a robin's image to guide us, we left my home, and traveled to Metropolis to seek out someone who was supposedly very knowledgeable. It was Superman as you know, and he directed us to Gotham because a man called Batman once had a partner named Robin. Everything from there on was the truth," she concluded weakly as she turned once more towards Raven and asked, " Now do you have some sort of trust in us Raven? Now can you please help Ahren so we can help this boy he saw? I promise that I'll have Ahren tell you what he saw when he wakes."

Raven heard the plead in the girl's voice, and contemplated the effort it must have taken the girl to tell her the truth, or enough of it anyway. She nodded her head and walked back towards the white fire, a grim determination now mingled on her face with a slight apprehension of what could happen, but she shrugged those doubts aside and strode straight into the flames and stood right in front of the white-eyed Ahren.

Steeling herself, she muttered, " _Azerath Metrion Zinthos!"_ and grabbed both of Ahrens forearms with her hands, and gritted in pain as it gripped her back. They both stood motionless for a moment before Raven heard a strange, disembodied voice in her head.

' Raven of the Titans.'

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Cyborg sprinted as fast as his mechanical legs could go, almost determined to try and do something right in this mission. True, he had helped in evacuating the students and faculty members from the burning school, but that all only seemed to be eclipsed by the failure of being able to help Ahren. He admitted, he had not really cared that Lily had seemed so worried about the psychic, his own anger towards the pair clouding his better judgment, and now he felt a terrible guilt growing within himself that he let himself give in to that weakness. His self-berating was called to a sudden halt when he arrived in the throng of the Slade bots and he saw someone unexpected rather than who he thought would be there.

It was Jinx, not Starfire, fighting off the robots, and doing so quite well on her own.

" Jinx?" Cyborg yelled at her as he released a huge sonic blast into the bots. " What are you doing here!"

" Kicking some robot ass Cy," Jinx yelled back, obvious enthusiasm echoing in her voice. " Care to join me baby?"

Cyborg gave his girlfriend a huge smile, and leapt over a few robots to stand beside her. After the two had destroyed a sufficient amount of bots with their blasts and bad luck hexes, Cyborg asked the pink-haired girl next to him, " Not to be rude or anything hun, but where did Star go? I was expecting her here."

Glancing towards the cybernetic young man, she pointed over where she had left Starfire to fight Slade a said, " She decided to pay back Slade for all the times he messed with Robin! Pretty much took that fight from me to tell you the truth."

Cyborg's eyes widened in shock as he saw a green beam hit a figure, who he assumed was Slade, and smash him into a nearby building. " Our little Star is doing that! Damn!"

" Well," Jinx said as she flung another one of her purple hexes toward some newly arrived robots. " You said so yourself on countless occasions, ' Our girl can take of herself,' and I believe you were pretty accurate in that statement. Now, we need to finish up here with your cousins, and then we can go and join Star in kicking Slade's arrogant ass into the concrete."

Smiling his trademark smile, Cyborg lifted his blaster and mowed down bots as they came nearer to him and the sorceress. " I love ya Jinx!" Cyborg shouted as he ran towards a robot and smashed it to the ground.

" I know Cy," Jinx said with a smile as she also ran to attack the robots in hand to hand combat. " Right back at ya you big hunk of parts!"

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Starfire met Slade in the air, and before she knew what was happening, she was on the ground, gasping for a breath. She barely rolled out of the way of Slade's fist as he hurtled toward her. He again, was able to catch her off guard a soon as she gained her feet, and slammed her into the street with a roundhouse kick. Not even risking the ground any longer, Starfire pelted into the sky, and started to dodge his blasts he would send her way.

He finally desisted, much to Starfire's satisfaction, and simply stood facing her. " I would have thought you were stronger than this," Slade said in his maddeningly calm voice. " You were when we last fought, but maybe I simply underestimated your raw talent. Still, I would have thought Robin to have better taste than this if this is all you are able to muster."

Starfire's eyes flared a dangerous green, and she spat back, " Robin is no longer your concern Slade! He never was in the first place! What do you think you know about him that we, his friends, do not? You no nothing regarding Robin, so do not speak as if you do!"

Starfire expected Slade to at the very least, laugh at her and call her foolish, but he did not. He merely stood and looked at her as if she were an insect unworthy of his time. " No my dear," he drawled after a moment of silence. " It is you who does not know that boy. You never will, and you fool yourself to believe that he lets you and the rest of the Titans know him…no one but me and Viper knows him that well."

" You are a liar," Starfire said instantly, almost fearing what he said was true. " Stop speaking now please!"

" Why? Because you can hear the truth in my voice child? I hate to break it to you, but he views you as nothing but a pretty gem to play with until he grows bored with you." Slade paused then, taking in the effect his words were having on the alien slowly floating towards the ground. " Which he will, after all, you have said yourself that he and I are very similar, and it is what I would do."

Starfire felt as if someone was slowly choking her, and there was no way to escape. What if Slade was right? Did Robin only view her as an object and nothing more? She felt like screaming and crying, but could not seem to summon the tears or shrieks, and all the thoughts going through her head were times where Robin ignored her, or yelled at her. She almost gave in to her deepest fears then, almost believed what Slade was telling her, when she felt a sudden warmth spread through her.

"_He lies."_

" What?" Starfire asked the strange voice.

" _He lies, Father loves you…do you need to be reminded?"_

Images of what Starfire viewed as the happiest moments of her life passed by her eyes suddenly, everything from him, hugging her, to kissing, to images that made her blush. She saw him smile at her, laughing at her obsession with mustard, and his deep blue eyes that he only revealed to her. She saw their first date to the park, and their last talk on the roof. Seeing everything at once that reassured of Robin's love for her, she felt tears of joy slip down her face as she realized that Slade had only been trying to weaken her with her own fears. The images stopped, and a sudden realization hit Starfire like a brick wall as she registered something.

" _Father…"_

Understanding filled Starfire, and she placed a hand over her abdomen, able to feel the life that had just started to grow within her. Determined now to stop Slade before he tried to harm anyone else she knew Robin would love, she started to float back into the air, and raised her head to look directly into Slade's revealed eye.

" You lie Slade," Starfire said calmly as her entire frame became enveloped in a green glow. " I know that now, and your playing off my fears can no longer affect me. I do not need Robin to show me know that he cares for me…he has done so on many occasions, and is _nothing like you_!"

She launched herself at Slade with such ferocity, the latter did not have time to throw up a proper defense against her attack. He was hurtled into the wall, and then blasted with a huge beam of light. As he slid to the ground, he was picked up by the alien and thrown across the street, landing with an enormous thud and groan as he crashed into a building. Before he could even start to rise, Slade was blasted with an uncountable amount of starbolts, each increasing in power as they hammered into his form. He looked up with his eye, and saw a figure with bright, emerald eyes stalking towards him, and then stop precisely in front of his crumpled body.

" I am sorry that I had to resort to violence Slade," Starfire said in her usual voice as she raised a final starbolt, encased hand to finish off her enemy. " But I cannot allow you to continue your evil ways. You have caused Robin trouble for to long, and I cannot allow that to go on…Goodbye Slade." Starfire tensed her body in preparation to release the starbolt, when suddenly two, strong arms grabbed hold of her, and she was rendered helpless in a few moments, captured by one of Slade's robots in no time. She had lost.

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' Raven of the Titans,' the voice repeated in her head after she did not respond the first time. ' What do you seek of me?'

" I want you to let go of your host," Raven answered uncertainly. She received no reply, and then she suddenly grasped how she needed to communicate with the being. Releasing her mind, Raven allowed herself to mix her own thoughts with the being, causing the white fire to become mingled with black energy.

' I want you to stop,' Raven thought to the being. ' I want you to let loose your hold over the boy.'

' Why? He implored aid, I answered. He still has need of me.'

' No he doesn't,' Raven thought furiously back towards the being. ' The fire is put out, and we, his companions, are here. You are no longer needed.'

' He did not call me to help with the fire,' the being answered emotionlessly. ' He called because he no longer believes he can accomplish his task by himself. He felt he was weak, and needed to be made stronger, that is why he called.'

' He is not weak,' Raven replied, to the force. ' He is able to do what he set out to do, I know he can. That's why he came to Jump City in the first place. That's why Ahren, because you had control and wanted to help prevent a catastrophe!'

' Why do you believe this Raven of the Titans,' the being asked her, his tone reflecting no change. ' I was under the assumption that you do not trust his ways. That is what he thinks.'

' Well,' Raven said, now able to feel the stirring of another presence. ' I was told a bit more about him, and I trust that he thinks he's doing the right thing…even if it meant concealing certain truths from us.' And as Raven spoke the words, she came to believe what she said. Ahren and Lily had never tried to harm the Titans, they had only hoped to keep them away from the danger in order to bring about a girl they believed could save the world one day. If the all the Titans knew this, there was a chance it wouldn't come about. It was only a belief, that this girl would help, but it was what drove them in everything they did, everything they sacrificed for…for the them, the Titans.

' I understand now Ahren.'

' You understand what?' the being asked.

' I understand what they were trying to do,' she answered quietly. ' I know now Ahren…can you forgive yourself for it now? I don't hate you, and neither does Robin, so don't think you failed, because you didn't.'

" Raven," she heard Ahren whisper from far away, in a weak voice that it almost didn't make any sound.

' Ahren, listen to me. I'm sorry I doubted you, I'm sorry I leapt to conclusions, and I'm sorry I played a part in causing you to scream for help. I'll help you with your mission…you don't have to shoulder the burden by yourself. We're all here.'

" Raven, I'm sorry I didn't tell you…" he gasped, his awakening causing the white fire to erupt all around him and Raven.

' Will you aid him Raven, once of a prophecy?' the voice asked the gothic girl, drawing her attention back to it. ' Will you bear that responsibility and teach him how to master his gift? Will you help prevent the light-bending child from destroying your world?'

' Yes,' Raven answered right away, trying not to losing her contact with Ahren. She almost didn't catch the last part of his statement, so concerned about gaining Ahren back, but she registered enough of it to know the 'light-bending child' was the someone Ahren saw in his vision. ' I will help in any way I can…all the Titans will.'

'Very well,' the being said as it seemed to retreat back into Ahren, taking the white fire with it. ' Remember your promise when things go wrong, and you lose the ones you care about, remember Raven.'

All the white fire disappeared then with a loud crack, and only Raven was left with her black energy swirling around her as she cradled an unconscious Ahren against her. She saw Lily and Beastboy rush towards her, and she dropped her power, letting Lily take Ahren from her arms as she fell into Beastboy's waiting arms, to exhausted to do anything else.

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" Whoa, easy girl, it's just me and Jinx!" Cyborg exclaimed as Starfire tried to ram her foot into his. " Just relax…it's over Star."

Starfire was whipped around and she saw Cyborg's huge grin meeting her, and she gave a squeal of joy as she wrapped her arms around his large neck in a hug. When she released, she saw Jinx helping load an unconscious Slade into a very well armored truck, supposedly being provided by the Justice League.

" Oh friend Cyborg," Starfire said very quickly. " I am most sorry to try to have damage your foot, but I thought you were another one of the bots. I was so preoccupied with Slade I just was not paying attention to much else, but where is the Slade going now, and why is a Justice League vehicle present?"

" Whoa, slow down Star," Cyborg said with a laugh at the alien's eagerness. " No prob about the foot, and I made a quick satellite call to the League to get an armored van down here to haul a dangerous criminal away…you were kicking his booty pretty well after all! It seemed safe to call the winner of that fight."

" I was not so victorious at first," Star said in a quiet voice as she watched Slade's truck disappearing down the street, on its way to Metropolis. " He was administering the kicking of the butt at first, but he angered me, and I, well, I ' dished out the silverwares back' yes?"

" Close enough Star, close enough," Cyborg smirked back as Jinx walked back towards them. " Now, I think we need to head over to where Rae is. I need to see if Ahren is alright."

" Agreed," Starfire said as they all started back towards the school. As she walked, she placed a hand back over her belly, and a smile of what was nestled within her made her float back off the ground. Cyborg was to preoccupied to notice, but Jinx did, and eyed the alien with a strange look.

" Uh, Star," Jinx said with a smile. " You okay?"

" Oh yes friend Jinx!" Starfire said in her most cheerful voice, not a bit faked. " I am most wonderful! Are you wonderful as well?"

" Uh…sure Star," Jinx answered with a shake of her head, conceding that she would never understand the alien's emotional range.

The trio made the rest of their way in a comfortable silence, no need for any of them to talk. They could see the white flames disappearing, and when they were gone entirely with an audible crack, they could see Raven cradling a prone Ahren, an image that caused the three of the Titans to run towards the other four.

" Y'all all right?" Cyborg asked urgently when they arrived next to Beastboy, who was holding Raven.

" I think so Cy," the changeling answered as his girlfriend gave a weak nod. " Rae was talking to that white thing, and it let go of Ahren after only a little bit. He's conked out though."

He gestured with a free hand towards Lily cradling the brown-haired psychic. The lavender-eyed young woman looked over to Starfire and Jinx and gave a small smile to them both. She glanced around them, as if looking for another person who was not there. Her smile faded into a frown and as the others rejoiced in Raven's victory, she cast a frightened gaze down at the stirring form in her arms.

" Ahren," Lily whispered in his ear. " I think we may have another problem."

He opened his eyes, and the three standing up all crowded around him and offered their thanks that he was alive and awake. He blinked a couple times, and gave Lily a small grin, but quickly wiped it off his face when he saw the look on hers.

" Lils," he said unsurely. " Is everything okay? I'm fine , don't worry."

As he tried to figure out why she seemed paralyzed, Starfire started to look around, excited and bursting to tell her friends her news. However, she wanted to tell someone first, seeing as it most affected him. " Friends," she said in her joyful voice. " Where is friend Robin?"

Ahren whipped his head around to stare at Starfire, then turned back to Lily. " No, no…this isn't happening…" He looked over to Raven and they shared a look, one that shared all of their fears of what had just tricked them all . Ahren pushed himself off the ground, shakily granted, and started to sprint towards the school. The rest of the Titans stared at his fleeing form, a grim comprehension setting in. Starfire placed an impulsive hand over her belly, and her breathing started to come in short gasps, she knew that if Slade was here, than that meant he had brought his apprentice as well.

They had all been tricked, this whole charade was orchestrated by the one person who they were all trying to keep their leader away from, and they had been so caught up in their own troubles that they practically handed him over in a platter. ' This was her plan all along,' Starfire thought in a grim voice. ' This is what she wanted.'

" Robin!"

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" Why hello yourself Dick," Viper answered back in a low voice. " It's nice to know you took time out of busy schedule of sucking ass to come and chat with me."

" It's not chatting your interested in Viper, so don't pretend it is," Robin growled back, not taking his eyes off her now moving form. " What do you want?"

" Always to the point aren't we," Viper said in a hiss-like laugh as she started to pace around him. " Villains never answer that question Robin, when are you ever going to learn? But, I'll humor you because I like you. I want you to magically chop into bits so I can send you up to the Justice League in a neat little box…those postage fees are insane for the large packages after all. Problem is, I don't think you'll cooperate all that well, so I had to make sure you'd come to see me. I.E., the kids in the corner," she gestured to the terrified children and gave a low chuckle. " The boy's name is Coran and the girl's is Mae…last name Prisai, ring any bells?"

Robin just stared at her, trying to figure out a way to get the kids out of harms way; he already had accepted his fate.

" No? Well I suppose that seer of yours knows the name," Viper said in a mock caring voice. " Not that you'll know now anyway."

" What will it take for you to let the kids go Viper," Robin said in his usual voice, determined for her not to know how petrified he was.

" Your cooperation of course Dick," she replied. " That, and leaving no types of clues for your teammates."

He was silent for a moment, knowing that he could probably take her long enough for one of his allies to get up here, but that would almost guarantee the kids' dooms. He knew what would happen when he made his decision, he would never say sorry to Ahren, he would never laugh at anymore of Beastboy's lame jokes, he would never see Raven, Cyborg or Jinx again.

He would never say goodbye to Starfire, and never would use that ring he had bought a few weeks ago. But there was no help for it, life had chosen another path for him, and he had to take it. He had to save those trembling children, even if it meant his own life.

" Fine."

Viper seemed a little confused for a split-second at Robin's response, but she recovered and gave him a smile, " But, you'll never see your precious Starfire again, doesn't that bother you?"

" I said I'd agree, I'm not going to change my mind," Robin said simply. " I know what my decision means, so leave it at that."

She gave the jet-haired boy a look of appraisal, and then said, " You just boosted my respect for you bird-boy. I may change my mind in how you go up to your old mentor…but for now, let's go. I'm not a very patient woman."

He nodded, and began to follow the petite woman out the room. He paused, and looked over at the kids, and said quietly, " Get out of here now guys. There are people outside you can help you," he paused, and then kneeled down to the boy and asked, " Can you tell the pretty, red-head you'll see out there that I'm sorry?"

The boy nodded, and looked helplessly as he saw his rescuer leave the room, and follow after the woman who said she was going to kill him. He held his crying sister closer to him, and ran from the room, determined to tell the hero's friends what happened, and try to help the brave young man.

" I will Robin," Coran Prisai said in a small, but strong voice. " I will."

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**A/N: **Omigosh! So many allusions to my future fics! I hope you guys can catch them!

I hope that answered some of the how and why of Ahren and Lily BAX…this chapter pretty much focused on them, so there you go Swiss!

Oh, concerning Starfire's part…it's what you all think! Mother's have this kind of instinct of knowing when they're pregnant and knowing what their children feel…so I just interpreted a Tamaranean way of that. If you all will recall, I mentioned the girl once before anyway!

So, I hope I got this out better than last time…you'll have to give me about the some amount for the next chappie because, again, HP new book comes out! Review Please!

Osco


	5. Clipped Wings

**A/N: **Hello, hello again! Well, I was actually going to stave this chapter off a little longer, but seeing as I was close to threatened in some of my reviews( thanx for those by the way!), I'm deciding to get right to business. HBP didn't take me nearly as long as I was hoping it would, two days for two years…yep, I'll be waiting awhile for the seventh book!

I hope you guys like this chapter…it's a bit gritty though.

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**Chapter Five: Clipped Wings**

Ahren, still exhausted from his ordeal a few hours earlier, was pacing around his room with his head hanging down and his arms locked behind his neck, trying to figure out what the Titans should do next. Their present ordeal was causing tensions in the Tower to reach breaking points, and try as he might, Ahren couldn't summon a vision to help out. Tricky thing being precognitive, the visions came sporadically and were so cryptic; they often only made sense in hindsight. So, he paced and went over ideas as they popped into his head, none of which really seemed possible when he actually spoke them aloud.

He stopped when he started to grow dizzy, and he sat down on his bed, cradling his head in his hands, and wished with all his might he would see something of use. But nothing came. He lifted his head, and looked out the large window on the opposite side of his and Lily's room. He gave a plaintive sigh as he gazed, realizing that they had has much chance in helping their captured leader and friend as likely as the chance that Viper would suddenly decide to start adopting kittens.

" Wish you were here man," Ahren whispered to the ocean he stared at. " We could really use a good idea about now."

" But he is not here," a sad voice said from Ahren's doorway. " And we all need to accept that, and try to come up with some sort of plan. We can't give into this despair, no matter how much we may want to."

Ahren brought his brown eyes to look into a pair of purple ones, and gave Raven a skeptical smile. " Since when are you the optimistic one Raven?"

" Since Starfire's boyfriend was kidnapped by a psychotic villain," Raven answered grimly. " She hasn't even come down from the roof yet…I think she's determined that Robin will suddenly appear there, unharmed and happy."

Ahren's smile slid off his face and he said, " I think we both know that probably isn't going to happen. She probably even knows that, deep down where she doesn't want to look."

" You're more than likely right," Raven said as she sat beside Ahren on the bed. " But that's just how she is. When Slade first took Robin to be an apprentice, Starfire just wouldn't believe for a second that it was somehow true. Granted, we did find out Slade was black-mailing Robin with our lives, but she always refuses to see the more unpleasant aspects of life, never wants to confront reality."

Ahren looked over and caught Raven's eyes with a fierce look. " I think she does see it, because she has dealt with enough pain in her life to know that it's there. She is just clinging to a desperate hope, so don't criticize her for that."

Raven merely took his diatribe stoically and rose off the bed. As she headed towards the door, she looked back over her shoulder and said, " Do you think you could go up and try to talk with her though Ahren? She won't listen to any of us, but she might listen to you or Lily…she always seems to anyway."

Ahren gave the gothic girl a nod and watched her dark form sweep from the room before he directed his gaze back towards the seaside view. He knew Lily had probably already tried to talk with the stubborn alien, so if she was till up on the roof, it meant Ahren was the only one left to give it a shot. He continued to stare at the crashing waves, accurately depicting the Tower's mood over losing their leader. He became so lost in the torrents, he almost didn't realize he wasn't looking at them anymore, but instead at an unknown suburban house's front lawn. He rose off the street swiftly, and looked wildly around, trying to grasp where he was.

He started to walk towards the house, when he saw it burst into flames, promising death to all that were in the house. As Ahren lifted an arm to shield his face from the flames, he felt a small tug on the side of his pants. He looked down, and saw a small, scared looking boy staring at him with wide eyes. It didn't take Ahren long to figure out that this boy had lived in the burning house, and he instantly crouched down to the boy's level to grip his shoulder s comfortingly.

" Where is the bird?" the strange little boy asked him, not blinking the large, gold on gold eyes. " Did you lose it?"

Ahren stared at the child, finding himself unable to answer. Not knowing how else to respond to the question, Ahren nodded his head.

The boy looked at the house for a moment, and then back towards the psychic with a sad look on his face. " I don't want to be bad. I don't want it to die."

Then, without warning, everything from the boy to the burning home all disappeared in a flash and Ahren found himself standing in the middle of a huge field with a large willow tree in the middle. He tried to call out for someone, but still couldn't bring up his voice, so he walked around trying to gain some knowledge of where he was. He walked around for what could have been a few seconds, to a few hours when he saw a young girl standing underneath the willow, humming a familiar tune under breath.

Ahren tried to call out to her, but she looked into his eyes first, her deep azure orbs seeming to pierce into his soul. She motioned him to follow her, and ran to the other side of the enormous tree. Ahren followed the girl without a second thought and stopped when he was beside her, his gazed fixed on what she was showing him.

Where one side of the field was green and full of life, the side she was showing him was black and charred. In place of green, the land seemed to be covered in blood that seeped out of the ground. The clouds were there, but were no longer white, instead were an awful gray mass that seemed to writhing as if it was made up of living things. He choked on the air, a sulfur-like scent that seemed to echo the despair the land depicted. To top it off, he saw what looked to be people, people trapped in this prison, people that were chained to the blood-soaked ground, and people that had no life in their dull eyes.

Ahren tore his eyes away from the horrific scene, knowing why it was so familiar immediately. He had seen it before, seen this outcome once before when he saw a golden-eyes being wreaking havoc in front of a dark, unknown evil that had not revealed itself. He looked over to see that black-haired girl staring at him.

" If you do not stop the snake, all you have worked for will be lost," the girl said in a quiet voice that reminded him of someone he knew. "She is needed to play a role, as the songbird is. The light-bender may still have his companion, but she will not be enough to stop his darkness from taking over."

" How?" Ahren croaked out, the acidic air choking his weak voice. " How do I help Robin?"

She gave a peal of laughter and grasped his hand to lead him back to the beautiful meadow. " You are not able to help the songbird…someone else must do that. You are needed to help the snake."

Ahren stared at the girl, with an incredulous look on his face. " Viper! You want me to help the person responsible for all this! She's trying to kill the 'songbird'! Why should I help her?"

" Because she can still be reached," the girl answered simply, a sad look encompassing her pretty face. " She is what she is because of how she was treated…the one you call Robin understands this, and it is time you do as well. She is needed to prevent that future from happening, which should be enough for you."

Ahren dropped his gaze from her intense stare, unable to fathom how he was going to reach someone as far gone as Viper.

The girl grabbed his hand then, as if picking up what he was thinking, and said, " There is a room in the Tower that is locked at most times. It is a room covered in the past and draped in mystery to all but one. It is there you will find out what you need to know."

Ahren looked up to find the girl smiling at him, and he found himself asking a question before he could even think about what it might implicate. " Are you Robin and Star's child?"

The girl looked at him for a moment, as if she was not going to answer, before she gave her head a small shake. " I am not anyone living psychic. I am merely the personification of hope in your mind. Your mind created me because of what you once saw as someone of hope, I cannot live beyond your inner thoughts. I suppose you can think of me as the force which took over you earlier today if you need an answer."

" But," Ahren said heatedly. " That was destructive! It could have killed someone, or myself, and didn't try to help."

" Your power is not something that can be defined as good or bad, because it can be either or. It all only depends on you."

She gazed at him for a moment, with a look that said she understood how confused he was. " I can no longer show you anything young seer. You must now go back to your world and try to use what I have told for good or ill. Are you ready?"

Before he could answer, the girl reached out and touched his cheek. Everything started to spin around before his eyes, and he crouched down to shield himself from the foliage and destruction whipping around him. He didn't dare to lift his head, and remained in the crouch for what could have been forever, all time lost where he was.

Abruptly, Ahren's head snapped up, and he saw he was sitting on the bed in his room, still in the same position to see the crashing waves outside. He rose quickly, causing himself to have a head-rush, and started to go over everything he saw in his vision. He had no idea what most of it meant, as was usual with his visions, but he kept remembering how the girl had told him to look for answers in a room, that supposedly was in the Tower. For a few minutes, he mulled over everything that could've been a clue as to what room it was, finding nothing until he remembered to very distinct things the girl had said.

" _Something the one you call Robin already understands."_

" …_draped in mystery to all but one."_

Sudden realization hit him like a cold bucket of water, and Ahren grabbed a coat from his closet and ran from his room. He ran straight into the common room, past all the exclamations from the other Titans as he ran straight to the stairwell. He glanced at Lily, who wore a puzzled expression, and flashed her a grin before he pelted up the stairs and out of sight.

" What was that about?" Beastboy asked when the stairwell door slammed shut. " Is he on crack or something?"

Cyborg and Jinx both shrugged their shoulders before they went back to their maps of Jump City, trying to pinpoint where Viper might have been hiding out. Raven shot a confused look to Lily, who now bore a huge smile on her face that would rival the Cheshire Cat's grin.

" Why are you smiling?" Raven asked the lavender-eyed girl, a hint of annoyance edged to her voice.

" I think Ahren might've had a vision," Lily said happily as she turned back to her charts, secretly smiling at the dropped papers and pencils she heard after her statement. ' Maybe there is a wee bit of hope after all,' she thought as she looked upwards to where Ahren had ran. ' Just maybe.'

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He had no real concept of how much time had already gone by, but he guessed it hadn't been that long, seeing as he still could think clearly. It had certainly felt much longer, but that probably had to with what he was put through more than anything else. As he started to think about it, he came to the conclusion that he had only been in this abandoned factory for a matter of hours, but she hadn't wasted any time, and had drugged him the moment they arrived. When he came to, he found himself chained against the wall, as he had expected would happen, and she was sitting backwards on a chair, staring at him.

She had told him he looked attractive when he slept, he definitely remembered that, and then she had said that was probably why his girlfriend liked him so much. He had been angered by that, and had struggled against his bonds until she hit him with a fist that was encased in metal with small spikes on the knuckles. He did not need to remind himself how much that had hurt, has he tried to shift his position on the ground and winced as pain lanced across his stomach.

He then recalled how she had 'tested' this glove of hers on different areas of his body, some worse than others, before she said that needed to fetch the rest of her toys. He remembered that room he had been in, there had been a window on the left somewhere, and there were crates that bore a fish logo, which led him to the belief he was in an abandoned fish warehouse of some kind. She had returned to soon before he could get a good glimpse out of the window, and had in fact brought some 'toys' with her.

Judging by how he couldn't breathe well, and the odd angle his ankle was in, he decided that had hurt as well.

He then guessed he passed out, and had been brought here. He wasn't chained up anymore, but he admitted to himself that it probably wasn't needed at this point. He rolled over into a sitting position against a wall and raised a hand to his bruised face and grasped that he no longer had his mask on. A dark look crossed his face, but he pushed aside his anger, knowing all too well that her infatuation with him meant she would want to see his face. He tried to stand, but collapsed with an audible grunt of pain as his legs screamed in protest.

Muttering angrily to himself, he saw the door slide open, and a small, brown-haired girl standing in the doorway with a smirk on her face.

" Feeling alright bird-boy?" she asked with mock concern.

" Of course I am," Robin rasped out quietly, no type of anger creeping out of his voice. " Why wouldn't I be?"

Viper shot the black-haired boy on the ground a strange look, but recovered quickly and walked forward with a small, wooden rod clenched in her hand. " I guess it's time to continue with our therapy session uh?"

Yep, he knew that this was going to hurt too.

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Starfire sat on the roof, humming a tune from her home planet under her breath and holding her abdomen with a free hand, waiting for a miracle she knew was unlikely to happen. It seemed strange that just hours ago Robin had ordered her to fight off the robots, only hours ago she had defeated Slade for good, and only hours ago Robin had willingly left her life to save two young children. The boy had told her that Robin said he was sorry, but that only exacerbated the pain in her heart. It had told her that she would never see him again.

She was very proud of him though, proud of how he had given up everything to help the two kids, everything he could've had or could've been for a horrible fate. She tried telling herself that she would tell their child about how brave her father was, but that didn't ease her mind or heart. So, she conceded to sitting on the roof, hoping that he'd burst through the door and sweep her up into his arms, despite what her mind was telling her.

Starfire closed her eyes as the wind started to whip her red hair into her face, and summoned all of her happy memories with Robin into her mind's eye. She ended up so lost in her own world, that she barely noticed the roof door swing open with a bang. It was only when she heard the familiar voice shout out at her that she registered that she had company.

" Star!" Ahren exclaimed as he swung the door open, a little too enthusiastically albeit, and hurried towards her. " Star, I have some news and I think I need your…wait, are you okay red?"

Starfire looked up startled at the psychic, not having enough time to wipe the tears off her features. " Ahren, you merely frightened me is all. I am just fine though."

" Star," Ahren said with a sad smile as he sat down next to her. " You are a terrible liar. Of course you're not fine; someone you love very much is not in the best place right now and you're terrified. You don't have to be strong right now Star."

She broke down then, burying her head in Ahren's shoulder as he held her shaking form, whispering meaningless comforts in her ear. She choked out, " I j-just do not w-want him to be d-damaged! I cannot-t stay here w-without him by m-me. W-what will I t-tell the b-baby!"

Ahren looked up, shocked by what the distraught alien had just revealed in her emotional outburst. He let Starfire control herself once more, and let her wipe her emerald eyes before he next said anything.

" Starfire, did you just mean what I think you meant? Are you _pregnant_?"

Starfire looked up into Ahren's wide eyes, and disentangled her arms from his before she whispered, " Would you think terrible of me if that was accurate friend Ahren?"

" What?" Ahren asked, confused by the guilty look on the alien's beautiful face. " Why would I think that bad?"

" I did not think it was considered virtuous on this planet to bear a child before one first 'walks down the aisle'. It is considered illegal is it not?"

Ahren almost started to laugh at the innocent look on Starfire's face, but kept it at a rather large smile instead. " Star, I know you love him, so why would it be bad? If there is love there, it doesn't matter if you and he are married or not! If it's true, I think it's probably the most virtuous thing in our world right now."

" Why?" Starfire asked.

" It's beautiful because you two were able to create something so pure in a world that is anything but," Ahren said fiercely. " Of course they'll be people who say it's disgusting, but why should you listen to that? Star, if you are indeed carrying a child, I think it's safe too say that you just gave this world a bit of hope."

She looked at him for a moment, considering what he had just said. She was happy, even though the circumstances were terrible, and she was happy the child was Robin's. Why should she be afraid of what others would think? Robin and she would be happy, that was all that mattered. She smiled a marvelous smile, and gave Ahren a nod of her head.

Ahren let out a 'woo-hoo' and leapt up from his perch. He hauled Starfire up with him, and spun her around in joy of what she had told him. The two were lost in their euphoria for a moment, before reality slowly started to sink back into the alien princess.

" But," she said sadly as Ahren slowed his spinning and lowered her to the ground. " How are we to rescue Robin? I do not wish to be raising the baby by myself. And, at the moment, we do not have any proposal as how to aid him."

Ahren caught her eye, a look of grim determination echoing back to Starfire. " I actually came up here because I think you can help us there Star. Just listen for a minute to what I'm going to tell you okay?"

When Starfire nodded her head, Ahren took a deep breath and plowed on. " After Raven left my room, telling me to try to get you to come down, I started to stare out my window, trying to piece something together, but coming up with nothing. Suddenly, I wasn't in my room anymore, but in an unknown neighborhood watching a house burn down. A little boy with gold on gold eyes came up to me, and said something about not wanting to be bad, and that we had to help a lost bird.

" Before I could even begin to comprehend what that meant, I was standing in a beautiful meadow, a meadow that had a huge willow tree in the middle of it. A girl with long black hair, and deep blue eyes was standing underneath the tree, humming something under her breath. She motioned me to follow her, and she showed me the other side of the field, a side that was so horrible, it still haunts me now. I had seen the destroyed field before, except it had buildings and such as well, I saw it in a vision that prompted Lily and I to come here in the first place.

" The girl told me how I had to help prevent this from happening, by helping a snake. ' The songbird will be helped by another' she told me. And I asked how I was supposed to help a psychotic maniac, and she told me that there was a room here that would help me. She said the room was covered in the past, and a mystery to all but one…and she also said that Robin already understood that Viper could be reached. I think I know what room will help me, but I need your help Star…do you get what I'm asking you?"

Starfire nodded dumbly, still trying to absorb everything he had just told her. " You need to get inside Robin's room do you not?"

" Yes," Ahren said, obvious relief sweeping through him. " He as old newspaper clippings covering his room from all the fights over the years, and it's almost always locked up. Plus, no one but you as ever been allowed in there with his permission, you're the only one with the code, the only one who knows the 'mystery within' there."

" So," Starfire said slowly, trying to grasp everything Ahren was trying to tell her. " You believe that Robin as information we need in his room. You believe that he as already been attempting to discover more on the Viper woman? Trying to discover how to help her?"

" Sounds like Robin doesn't it?" Ahren asked excitedly. " He thinks that Viper is his fault, so he was trying to figure out how to help her. I think that may have been why he ended up going with her in the first place, that and for the kids. I know it sounds kind of crazy, but it all kind of makes sense right?"

Starfire looked incredulously at the brown-haired, her eyes betraying her obvious doubt. " Are you certain that was his intention friend Ahren?"

" I wasn't at first," Ahren admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. " But, after the vision, I'm sure of it. Robin is probably one of the kindest people I've ever met in my life, and after that girl said he had already known about how to help Viper, I believe that is what he was doing for a week. He wants to help her, help her recover a shred of her humanity, even if that meant worlds of pain for him. My visions are hardly ever wrong…not in a sense of them happening in a sense of how they're shown at least. Maybe he won't be able to do it, but that's why I'm going to help. Can you help me too Star?"

Starfire gave a sigh, and a shake of her head before she looked back up at Ahren. " Of course I will aid you Ahren, I wish for my child to have a father after all. But, do not think I will show the Viper woman any pity! I cannot do that, not after all the pain she as caused Robin, even if he had intended it to be that way. I simply cannot bring myself to feel sorry for her."

" I understand Star," Ahren said as the two of them walked towards the door, and headed down into the Tower. " And, I don't think I can either…but the girl said she as a part to play to help prevent that future I saw, we just need to make her see it."

Starfire gave him a small smile, and nodded her resolutely as they headed down the stairs, and for once since Robin's capture, feeling the familiar spark of hope kindle inside her.

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Raven looked up from her charts and maps when she saw Ahren walk back into the common room, and head straight for the fridge to grab some food for himself and Starfire. She didn't call out to him as he gave Lily an exhausted smile, and a quick kiss before heading back up towards Robin's room, where Starfire was undoubtedly waiting for him. She looked over to Lily, received a small shake of her head from the brown-haired girl, and went back to her own charts, trying to chart where Viper might be.

" Nothing yet uh Lils?" Cyborg said, not even looking up from the computer screen he was typing at.

" No," Lily said tiredly. " Not yet. But, Ahren's confident they'll find something in there. His visions are usually never wrong after all, and it told him to look there."

" But he's been lookin' for three days so far," Beastboy complained as he tossed down his pencil in frustration, coming up at another dead end. " Don't ya think they would've found something by now?"

" There's no way to know that Gar," Raven said, as she looked up from her charts and cast her boyfriend a sympathetic gaze, an oddity for her. " I think we should let them both just do what they need, and we'll do what we need. Robin's not dead yet, I would've felt it."

" How is he doing anyway?" Jinx asked, carrying a pile of old case files to Cyborg, knowing the gothic girl had a connection with their leader ever since he had let her into his mind three years ago.

" In pain," Raven said sadly. " But he's strong…he'll hold on as long as we need him too."

" Do you think we'll even be able to get through to Viper?" the pink-haired sorceress asked, voicing everyone's hidden doubt. " Honestly now."

No one said anything, until Lily raised her head and gazed determinedly at the others. " We can, and we will. We have to put faith in the vision is all, and everything will work out in the end."

No one said anything else, daring to believe the lavender-eyed girl, and continued with their work in silence, waiting for a resolution from the two up in their leader's room.

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He didn't know how much more he could take, especially after today. He felt Raven in his mind, telling him to hold on, telling him that his friends were coming for him, and telling him that everything was going to be okay. However, he was starting to find that mantra hard to believe.

He guessed that he had been here for a week or so, give a few days in case he was unconscious for longer than usual, judging by the light in the window. It was hard for him to grasp that it hadn't been all that long, but sure enough, Viper had confirmed that information earlier that day. She had told him that she had begun reconsidering her plan with him, that he should be thankful he was still alive after a week because that wasn't her original plan. She was considering keeping him alive long enough for Batman to come down to Jump City, and then kill him front of his former mentor.

Personally, Robin was a bit keener on accepting death at the moment. The wooden rod she had started to use was excruciating. She hadn't confided in him where she had received it, but it had some sort of magic or power in it. Whenever she pressed it into his body, he felt such an intense amount of pain, it was unreal. It seemed to cause her pain to just hold it, but that didn't matter to her, and even through all the agony, Robin found himself pitying Viper even more. He had tried to reach her, before and after her work, but nothing seemed to work. Eventually, he just stopped, hoping she'd eventually just finish him off so he wouldn't have to deal with the pain anymore.

But, one thing he did notice affect her was how he never screamed or shouted at her in anger or pain. Occasionally, he would let out a gasp or grunt if something was particularly sharp, but he never swore or cursed her. And that, he knew, was breaking through more than anything else.

Today though, today she had finally broken through the protective barrier he had encased his mind in. She hadn't done anything especially painful, at least not in the physical sense of the word, but she had finally achieved what she hadn't been able to do for a week. He had just been lying on the ground, her use of the wooden rod taking any kind of fight out of him, when suddenly she leaned over him and placed her mouth over his. He screamed in his mind, screamed that he stop her, but couldn't do anything but let her continue. Her hands had roamed and wandered, and he had just let her. When she had lost interest or whatever she called it, he had let out such a painful scream, that it left him hoarse afterwards.

For some reason, she carried him back to his cell then, and left without another word. He didn't care why she left so quickly, so far gone into his pain that he simply didn't care anymore. He didn't care that his friends were looking for him, he didn't care that he wasn't going to be able to help that boy the girl in his dreams told him about two years ago, and didn't care that he would be leaving Starfire. He hated himself for his failure, and didn't care if he died anymore. He didn't deserve her anymore anyway.

He curled himself into a ball on the floor of his cell, and closed off the connection with Raven, a connection she had created three years ago when he was close to death, and let the inevitable truth that he was doomed sink in.

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Starfire and Ahren started their search early the day of Robin's breakdown, deciding they were wasting too much time sleeping. Starfire started with her unfinished stack of files, while Ahren logged onto the computer and started his search again. They both had searched every outlet relating to 'Viper', 'snake', and 'Slade' they could think of, and hadn't found anything of import for a week. Everything just seemed to relate to the ordeal two years ago, and Slade's file, while the largest, only mentioned her as the third apprentice. It was starting to get hopeless, both Ahren and Starfire realized that, and the other Titans were growing anxious at the lack of progress.

" Oh!" Starfire exclaimed after several hours of searching. " We are not discovering anything which we did not already have knowledge of! This is like lookin for a haystack surrounded by sharp objects!"

" Like trying to find a needle in a haystack Star," Ahren corrected her absentmindedly as he scrolled through an intriguing file on an inmate.

" Oh, yes," Star said sadly as she went back to her files. " That is what I me-"

" Hey Star," Ahren interrupted. " Come here for a second, I might have something."

She walked over and leaned over Ahren's shoulder, peering at the screen. " Why are you looking at the file of this Vanessa Bowman?"

" Because," Ahren said as he pulled up a picture of the inmate, and heard the alien give out an audible gasp. " I think she's Viper. I found this when I looked up the prison where Viper was being held, and noticed he had a file on one of the inmates there, which I found strange because I had never heard of you guys fighting a villain named Vanessa Bowman. When I opened it, it was huge, almost as big as Slade's file, and I saw the girl was obviously Viper! And he had info going as far back as her childhood…he's been looking up stuff on her for a long time Star."

He looked over his shoulder and smiled at the shocked expression on his companion's face as she read the comments Robin made and at the papers written on her.

" Is there enough information here for us to utilize?"

" More than enough Star," Ahren said animatedly as he started to bring up pages of Viper's childhood and young teen years. " At least, I think there is…I mean, here for instance. This blog talks about how she was never accepted by her father, something she wanted very much after she discovered her mother died giving birth to her," he registered the fearful look that overtook Starfire's features at his last statement. He smiled and said, " She was an abnormality, her body was weak, and couldn't handle bearing a child of her caliber. You won't have to worry about that Star. Anyway, Robin made the connection that was why she was so angry when Batman set up the crime boss, he was the father she never had.

" And here's another one of a similar vein…some of her foster homes were…well …not the best. She ran away from an abusive home, I think physically and sexually are probably the right ones there, and that was when she ran away to the crime boss. But there are countless homes she was part of, none of them kept her longer than a few months…she probably grew bitter and resentful because of that. No one cared about her…"

Ahren trailed off, his eyes wide and a look of understanding flooding his features as he stared at the screen. Starfire looked at him, and asked, " Ahren, is something the matter?"

" I think," Ahren said slowly, as if still trying to understand what he was saying. " I think I know why she has such a fascination with him Star. It only had to do with Batman at first, but now…it explains why she hasn't killed him! It all makes sense!

" Ahren," Starfire said angrily. " I do not understand what you are trying to say when you make no sense!"

" She wants him to care about her Star," Ahren said as he looked into her emerald orbs. " She wants someone to care about her, and she's chosen Robin. I think Rob surmised that much, and that's why he went so willingly, why he didn't stall her. So, to reach her, we need to show her instances where people have cared about her."

" That would be most unlikely," Starfire snorted angrily, incensed that Viper had chosen to fall for her boyfriend.

" I don't even think she realizes it yet Star," Ahren said patiently, knowing all too well why the alien was angered. " But now we have a way red, and I intend to use it… we need to. I don't know why I have to help Viper, but I do, so I will."

Starfire battled with herself for a moment, before deciding that Ahren was right, and she would need to shrug aside her animosity and jealousy at the present and do everything she could to help. " Yes," she said with a nod of her head. " You are correct friend Ahren. I will help as well…but let us both agree now that she is an ugly, scheming _khlorbag_ who is not worthy of Robin, yes?"

Ahren laughed and nodded his head in agreement at the red-head's request. They both gathered up the items they would need and headed downstairs to see if the others had found out where Viper was hiding. They had been conducting searches of possible places for the last three days, but none yet had been successful.

" Friends," Starfire shouted happily as she and Ahren walked into the common room and spotted Cyborg, Jinx, Lily, and Beastboy sitting around the computer. " We have discovered some very useful information!"

" Great Star," Cyborg said, not one bit excited by the news. " Now all we need to do is find out where this psycho is hiding…DAMMIT!" He slammed his fist down on the console in anger, which caused a few sparks to emit from the machinery. Ahren walked over and pulled Lily into a hug and said, " I'm guessing you guys didn't find anything."

" No," Lily answered softly. " We are running out of places she might head to, and still have no idea where she might be if the next two don't yield any type of clue."

The Titans stood in silence for a few moments, when Starfire broke it asking, " Um, friends…where is Raven?"

" She didn't feel good Star," Beastboy said sadly as he flopped himself onto the couch. " The connection with Robin is tiring her. She can feel the pain he's in, and she is starting to feel strained. She went up our room right before we left, saying she needed to rest. She hasn't come down yet…I think I'll go wake her up though, that way you and Ahren can tell us what you finally found out."

He pushed himself up, and left the room without another word. Cyborg cradled his head in his big hands, and Jinx draped a comforting arm about his shoulders. Ahren gave Lily a gentle kiss, and led her to sit next to him on the couch. Starfire felt a sudden pang of sadness as she watched the two other couples enjoying each other's presence, and she felt overwhelmingly lonely right then.

She hadn't really noticed over the past week because she had been so busy with trying to find information concerning Viper, but now as she waited for Beastboy to come back down, she felt it more than ever. She felt a horrible lump form in her throat, and her eyes started to burn as salty tears formed behind them. More than anything, she wanted Robin back, and to be held in his arms, or sitting on the couch with him. She comforted herself by placing her hands over her abdomen, taking in the warmth she could almost feel coming from her child. She hadn't told anyone else about her baby, taking Ahren's advice that she should wait and tell Robin before anyone else. She cast Ahren a caring gaze, and wanted to voice how thankful she was for his friendship, without which she would surely have fell into despair. She was about to tank him when Beastboy came running back in, carrying a very haggard looking Raven.

" You guys," he exclaimed loudly to get everyone's attention. " I think we may know where Robin is!"

" Truly!"

" Are you jokin' with me man?"

" Really, when, how?"

Raven held up a hand to stay there questions, pain and despair obvious on her face. " I saw where he was when I was sleeping, he was in so much pain…" she trailed off before she composed herself once more. " Anyway, he shut closed off the connection with me, probably through sheer determination, and I felt him give up. Before that though, I saw where he was…it's an abandoned fish factory in the industrial part of town. It wasn't even on our list because it's to near the police station down there."

" She liked fish…" Ahren muttered to himself. " Raven, Star and I found out some stuff, but we need to go now. We'll fill you in on the way."

Without waiting to deliberate whether they all needed to go, all the Titans rushed out to the garage to go and rescue their falling friend.

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Viper paced around the room she had adopted as her home for what could have been hours, but in reality was only a few minutes. She had just locked Robin back in his cell, and she couldn't figure out for the life of her why she had done that. She also couldn't figure out why she was keeping him alive after a week. She knew she had caused him enough pain, but she still hadn't killed him. Why? She had no idea why she was being so weak, she didn't have the stomach for it apparently, but she found that hard to believe. Surely if you can torture someone you can kill them?

At the thought of torturing him, she pulled out the long, wooden rod from her pocket and examined it. It really was beautiful, made with a striking cherry wood, it had sinuous strands of gold winding down the whole of it. It was called an Agien, and she had received it when she was making her way to Jump City with Slade. Her 'master' had been resting, when a shadowed and cloaked figure came up to her and gave her the rod. He had said what it was for, and that she use it against the 'songbird'.

Well, she really hadn't understood why he called Robin a songbird, but she knew that was who he was talking about. She hadn't told Slade about it, and she hadn't seen the figure since then. But, she did use the Agien and it marveled her how much pain it could cause with the slightest touch. Sure, it hurt her to touch it, but she was stronger than most normal people, so it hadn't been so bad.

However, there was a major problem with this plan she had with using the Agien and such on Robin. He never shouted out or yelled at her. Merely took everything she threw at him, and would never stop pestering her about how he knew why she was so angry with him. She had actually grown so annoyed with it, she had shoved the Agien in his mouth to quiet him. She doubted he remembered that, seeing as he had passed out from the pain almost immediately.

But why she had felt compelled to kiss him today, was beyond her. She almost couldn't help herself as he was lying helplessly on the floor, to tired to do anything. She remembered that he hadn't kissed her back, for obvious reasons, but she had wanted him to.

_She had wanted him to kiss her back!_

When she had pushed off of him, he had let out such a painful cry, she was shocked. Why was her kissing him so painful for him to cry out when nothing else she did even yielded more than a grunt! She had actually felt bad about what she was doing then, for a split-second, and swept up his broken form and carried him back to his cell-like room. She watched him for a moment, through the small window on his door, and she watched him fall into a fitful sleep before she tore herself away.

She stopped her pacing abruptly, and crumpled to the floor with an angry snarl. Why did he still have such an affect on her! Why was she still hesitating destroying him! Why did she care!

It hit her then, an awful truth that she couldn't hide from anymore. It was because she did care. Somewhere between meeting him and torturing him, Viper had fallen in love with Robin. It was by no means a normal kind of love, maybe obsessive love fit more accurately, but that's what it was. She stared at the wall, revulsion with herself filling her being, and let out an angry scream in frustration. She started to feel hot, angry tears leak down her face then, tears that she did not want, but were there anyway.

She wiped her face irritably, forcing herself to control her emotions. How could she let this happen? How could she have been so careless? She had let herself feel attracted to him, and now she was in love with someone who hated her…someone who would never want her…someone who already had a beautiful someone.

" What the fuck do I care!" she growled slowly. " No one else has ever given a damn about me, why should he be any different?"

Hot fury licked her insides then, and she rose off the ground, deciding that by finishing what she had started, she could finally ease her own suffering. She pulled back her long, dark hair then, and started towards his cell, only letting one thing into her thoughts.

' If he dies, I can die at peace. That's all you were meant to do in this life anyway Vanessa Bowman, kill.'

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**A/N: **Whew! That was long uh? I hoped you all liked it!

If you guys were paying attention, I introduced the big baddie…he's very important later!

I know I focused a lot on Ahren and Starfire, but I needed to for the vision and all.

Remember guys and girls, review, review, and review some more for the heck of it! It fuels me after all! Until next time!

Osco


	6. Rescue Part One: Salvation

**A/N: **Howdy y'all! Thanx to all the reviewers…you guys make me feel all warm & fuzzy inside!

Concerning the following chapter, I decided to split it because as I was jotting down the basic scheme of it, I noticed that I had written quite a few more notes than I normally did. I realized that this chapter would be a beast if I kept it all together, and my poor brain would probably not be too happy w/ me after I wrote it. So, I'm splitting the chapter into two parts so I can put everything I need into the chapters. So, that means that there'll be yet another cliffie at the end here…I'm sorry guys, but it had to be done!

Enjoy!

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**Chapter Six: Rescue Part One**

**Salvation:**

" _Richie," a kind, soft female voice said from the kitchen of her trailer. " Can you help Mommy with the dinner today"_

" _Sure," a young boy with a messy tuft of black hair said as he hurried into the kitchen and began helping his mother peel potatoes. " Mommy, why do we have to peel so many of these? It's not like you, me, and Daddy eat this much!"_

" _Of course we don't honey," the pretty, blue eyed woman said with a chuckle at her son's remark. " But it's our turn to make the Sunday dinner for the entire troop…and I think all of them can eat these potatoes. Especially Marvin, you know that."_

_Richie gave a peal of laughter that caused his mother to smile inwardly. " Marvin can eat more potatoes than this! He's really big you know, even bigger than Daddy!"_

" _Yes he is honey," she responded. " Be careful you don't cut yourself Richard!" She was distracted from her cutting by the sound of the front door opening, and then by the tall, dark-haired man that had entered the kitchen._

" _Daddy, I'm helping Mommy with the dinner, do you see?" Richie asked his father excitedly._

" _Yes," his mother said, giving her husband a smile. " Richie as been a big help, but right now, Mommy and Daddy need to talk. Can you go and empty these peels outside for me?"_

" _Okay," Richie said with a smile as he grabbed the trash bag full of potato peelings from his mother. He paused long enough for his father to give him a playful ruffle of his hair before leaving. After the boy left, his father fixed his wife with a worried look._

" _What's wrong John?" the woman asked her husband in a worried tone._

" _The manager just got himself into bit of trouble Mary," John answered as he ran a nervous hand through his dark hair. " I heard Manny saying something about the manager not paying back some gangster he owes money too."_

" _You don't think he'll close down the circus do you John?" Mary asked her husband hurriedly. " I mean, he can pay the money surely, we are pretty successful."_

" _It doesn't have anything to do with that," John answered somberly. " This particular gangster supposedly as ties to some big name villains here in Gotham, and the manager doesn't want to attract any kind of problems for the rest of us…but we're all afraid he could be killed because of it."_

" _They wouldn't," Mary gasped, her deep blue eyes wide with fear. " I mean, they couldn't do anything right John? We can't lose the manager, he's like an uncle to Richard, and where else would we find work?"_

" _Shh," John said as he rose and put his arms around his frightened wife. " Nothing will happen as long as the rest of us help out to protect him."_

_The couple stood there for a few moments, just taking comfort from each other's warmth. Mary wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and pushed away from her husband and muttered, " Oh, I'm just being silly."_

" _No you're not," John said as he sat back down and clasped his hands together in front of his face. " You have a right to be worried. That's why I think we should leave Richard out of our act next Saturday. He'll be disappointed, I'm sure, but it will make a lot of the troop feel a bit safer that he's out of harms way should any unsavory types come to the show."_

" _But John," Mary said, whirling around to face him. " It's his ninth birthday next week! He'll be more than disappointed that he can't go up with us."_

" _I know, but it's what we all, including the manager, agreed upon," Jon said with a sad smile. " None of the kids are performing…it's just safer that way."_

" _I suppose," Mary said in a small voice. She finished cutting up the vegetables for her stew. She looked up and gave her husband a forlorn sigh before saying, " He'll be so sad John."_

" _I know," John replied, not exploring the topic further._

_As the two grown-ups discussed serious issues in the kitchen, neither noticed that little Richie was right outside the door, listening in anger that he wasn't able to perform in the show on his birthday like his parents promised he could. Choosing to not confront his parents, he stormed towards his room, and slammed the door, not caring that his parents had his best interests at heart…_

They didn't stop, no matter how much he wanted them too. He rolled over in his cell, despite the blinding pain it caused to do so, and tried to will himself to stop thinking. He didn't want to think about his dead parents in the last minutes of his life, he didn't want to think about anything at all. The memories kept dredging themselves up into his conscious, as if aware that he was trying to die, reminding him of things he still had to atone for.

Letting out a hoarse, strangled cry, he closed his eyes once more, and lost himself in the past that he didn't want to see anymore.

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" Are you certain that this is the correct place?" Starfire asked for what seemed to be the umpteenth time since their departure from the Titan Tower. " I mean, you are certain you are correct?'

" For the last time Starfire," Raven said through clenched teeth. " Yes, I'm sure this is where he is. Now, can you please stop pestering me about it!"

As Starfire mumbled a sheepish apology to the irritable Goth, Lily gave Ahren a strange smile, a smile that was astounded that despite the situation, these six amazing teens were still able to act as themselves. Cyborg and Beastboy were, of course, arguing over the radio station, while Starfire continued to pester both Raven and Jinx in the backseat of the T-car. It marveled Lily that the team could still act relatively normally, but Ahren wasn't convinced. He knew that all the banter was a façade to cover up the nervousness he knew they all were feeling.

But, when he looked at the red-headed alien, Ahren felt such a strong swoop of determination in his being, feeding off the strength she was exuding. Even though she knew that what they were likely to find in the factory was not good, her eyes flamed with resolve that they would overcome whatever they may find. Ahren wished he was that confident.

He had spent the entire time driving towards the abandoned fish factory mulling over things in his head that he may use to convince Viper she was really a nice person. Needless to say, it was not going well, especially when the rest of the team was of the mind to kick the living crap out of her. He was beginning to feel as if the situation was hopeless, but he couldn't feel like that! It was his responsibility, given to him by his vision no less, and he HAD to see it through, no matter how bleak the prospects looked.

He was relieved when the T-car had finally arrived at its destination, and tumbled out of the car. Cyborg, Ahren, and Raven all looked up at factory when they got out of the car, and waited for the rest of the team to file out of the car. When all the Titans were gazing up at the factory, Cyborg turned around and fixed everyone with a fierce look before he stopped on Ahren.

" Well," he said in an authoritive voice to the distracted psychic. " What now Ahren?"

" Uh-what?" Ahren asked confusedly, wondering why Cyborg was asking him what to do.

" I said, what do we do now?" Cyborg repeated in the same voice.

" Why are you asking me?" Ahren asked once he registered that he had truly heard Cyborg correctly the first time. " You're the leader Cy…not me, I'm not even a Titan. I don't think th--"

" No Ahren," Cyborg interrupted immediately. " I have no clue what to do now, I'm not the one who had the vision about this. You are. I think you should be the one to lead this rescue mission, because that's what you and Lily came here to do in the first place. Besides, I've heard you talking with Robin before, you are just as clever as he is. And you both ARE Titans…it just took the rest of us a while to realize it."

Cyborg finished with a slight grin, and gestured to the other members, who were all nodding their heads in assent with the cybernetic man's comment. Ahren caught Lily's eye for a moment, and saw there was confidence there, as well as hope. She gave her head a slight nod, and broke out into a beautiful smile, her sign that she believed that he would be the best to lead here. Beastboy was nodding energetically, and saying, " He's right man!" over and over, while Jinx nodded as well, silent for once. Raven locked eyes with Ahren, and an understanding passed between them, all differences now given to the wind.

Turning around, Ahren looked right at Starfire and asked, " Do you want me to lead this red?"

Starfire was silent for a moment before she said, " You are the only one who knows the full extent of the consequences should we…should we fail today. You are also the only one among us who truly believes that the Viper woman can be redeemed…I believe you must lead this mission friend Ahren. None of the rest of us are as prepared as you are."

The other Titans pretended not to notice the alien wipe her face with the back of her hand after she finished her declaration, opting instead to focus on Ahren, aware they had put him under a great amount of pressure. His brown eyes, alive with a fervent determination suddenly, glared at the building facing them, before he whirled about to face the rest _his _team.

" Okay," he said in a confident, detached voice. " This is what we are going to do. I want Cyborg, Beastboy, and Lily to head off towards the higher levels when we enter. You guys are going to look for Robin, I think from what Raven said he's up on the top floor, but check some below as well…look for a cell like room that has dried blood outside of it because that's probably our best bet.

" While they do that, I want Raven, Starfire, and Jinx to follow me as we search the lower levels, and just make as much noise as possible. We are going to lure Viper away from the other group, and then we are going to confront her. I only ask that no one try to kill her when she finds us."

" Do you know what you're going to say yet?" Raven asked the brown locked young man. " I mean, like what you're going to say to her to convince her to come quietly?"

" No idea," Ahren said in the same detached voice. " But I will, make no mistake. I'm hoping it'll just come to me when she finds us…that's all I can really do."

" What about Robin," Lily asked quietly, walking over towards her boyfriend as the others prepared for their mission, shooting Starfire a discreet look. " You are aware that he'll probably be pretty bad."

" I know Lils," he whispered back in her ear. " But the girl said that I'm not meant to help him…that is left for another to do, she said. I just hope the other is someone we know."

" Starfire?"

" I don't think so," Ahren answered her slowly. " I think the girl would've told me that if it was Star…no, it's someone else. But, let's just focus on rescuing him first, then we can worry about saving him."

" Ha," Lily said in a sad voice. " Most people think that would be the same thing, to save and rescue."

" Most people aren't faced with a situation that distinguishes one from the other," Ahren answered back, in an equally sad voice as she started to head back over towards her group. " And I pray that most never do."

The two groups, Ahren and Cyborg leading their respective groups, headed into the broken down building after making sure each member had a communicator on them. The teams were overpowered with a distinct smell of fish as they entered, so strong that they coughed in order to adjust to the scent better. They continued together for a few minutes, making as much noise as they possibly could, before the groups came to a fork in the path. Giving Ahren a nod, Cyborg led his group quietly up the staircase on their right, while Ahren's continued down the left path, talking loudly amongst themselves.

Ahren and his team traversed down the hallway for what seemed to them as hours before they wound up in a large room, a room that could see all the other floors up to the roof. Ahren gave the girls a curt nod, and they all started to fling boxes of rotten fish bones around, blast apart the wooden walls, and generally make a ruckus. It didn't take nearly as long as the walk did before Ahren heard a very familiar hiss from two floors up. He looked up quickly, and saw, perched on the railing like a predator waiting to strike at its prey, a small young woman with long brown hair glaring down at them with baleful with yellow eyes.

" Hello Titans."

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" _Honey, can't you just understand why we don't want you to perform today?" Mary asked her son with a sad expression as she and her husband got ready for their act that night. " I know you're disappointed about this, it being your birthday yesterday and all, but I promise we'll do something else later."_

_Richie looked at his mother with cold blue eyes, still upset about the whole mess. He looked away when she fixed him with an identical stare, and she reached over to pull him into a hug. " I know you really wanted to perform tonight, but Mommy and Daddy just aren't comfortable with it right now. You'll be able to as soon as it's safe."_

" _Son," John said in a firm voice. "We discussed this enough times. You'll perform again when the rest of the circus deems it as safe."_

_He was cut off by the arrival of a large, friendly looking man in a red suit with a top hat on his head. " John, Mary, are you both ready to go on?" he asked in a genial voice._

" _Yes manager," John said as his wife flashed a dazzling smile in assent. " We're just finishing some last minute business."_

_The manager looked over where a young boy was staring longingly up at the trapeze landing above their heads. He gave a booming laugh and said, " Is your young Richard still upset about not being able to perform tonight? Well laddie, you'll be able to next week when we leave Gotham, I can promise you that."_

" _Really?" Richie asked, his voice hopeful._

" _Of course my boy, the manager answered, clapping him on the back in a brotherly way. " Goodness knows how well you fly up there, and only nine years old to boot! We just felt like taking some security precautions tonight, you understand my boy."_

" _Yes," he answered slowly, not sure if the manager was asking a question or not. _

" _Attaboy," the manager hollered, ruffling Richie's jet-black hair before addressing his parents again. " Now, hurry up and get in your places, you're up after Marvin. And, not to put any pressure on my 'Flying Graysons', but I believe we have some very influential people in the audience tonight, including Bruce Wayne! So, give them a good show all right?"_

" _Don't worry manager," John answered as he clasped hands with his wife. " We won't let you down."_

" _Right-o," the manager replied. " Little Robin, you want to watch the show from out there tonight?"_

" _Yeah!" Richie said excitedly, thankful that he wasn't going to be cooped up in the backroom at least. He hurried after the manager, giving his mother and father a hug and thumbs up sign before he left._

_He sat down in a front row seat, next to the clowns, and listened excitedly as the manager announced his parents after Marvin finished his act._

" _And now," the manager said in his great booming voice. " Ladies and Gentleman, I ask that you direct your attention towards the trapezes and marvel at the most amazing acrobats ever to grace Gotham! The Flying Graysons!"_

_Richie's parents waved and bowed to the crowd from their perch in their sequined outfits. His father swung across to the opposite side as his mother, and waited for his cue to begin, smiling down at his son, who was waving up at him._

" _This amazing duo will perform such acrobatic feats that it will astound you all beyond reason! And to top it all off, they will be doing all of their stunts without the safety of a net! Now, watch and be astonished as they fly through the air!"_

_The act began, and Richie felt such an admiration for his parents as they performed all of their stunts perfectly. Richie's favorite stunt came up, and he saw his father grab his mother's wrists in mid-air as she flipped from her trapeze._

_Then, something went horribly wrong. The wires that held up the trapezes snapped, as if they had been eroded away, and he saw his parents hurtling towards the ground, no net to catch them. The clown next to him was holding him, keeping him from running out towards the center of the tent, and he could hear the screams of panic and fear from both the crowd and circus members as his parents fell. Suddenly, everything went quiet, as he saw them hit the ground, everything was silent except his cry as he wrenched from the clown's grasp and ran towards his parents. _

_He knew they were dead, but he didn't want to let go of his mother's hand, determined that he would bring her back. He heard the yells of surprise and the mutterings of pity as he clung to his parents, but all he could register truthfully was a pair of strong arms lifting him away from his parents, lifting him away from the life he had known._

He pounded the floor of his dank dwelling in frustration, unable to get rid of the painful memories that plagued him. Seeing their deaths just seemed to reinforce the guilt he felt that he could have done something to help them. He had seen someone enter the tent earlier that day, someone who had a strange tattoo on his upper left arm, and someone that didn't look like anyone who should've been in the tent before the show. But, he had been so angry with his parents for not letting him perform, he had forgotten to tell them about the strange man.

He found out later who had dragged him away from the center, away from the bodies, and also found out why his parents had been killed. Apparently, the manager had made quite a nasty enemy in Gotham, and this gangster decided to make an example of the manager by killing his most famous act…The Flying Graysons. It didn't help the pain though, didn't help the guilt.

And they had called him little Robin.

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She had heard the noise long before the Titans meant to have her hear it. She had been standing outside of his cell, her knife-like nails poised to do what they hungered to do, before she started to hear their attempts at being quiet that soon turned into loud, obnoxious invitations. She had smirked at their ignorance of what she could do, at their pathetic attempt at a 'rescue' mission, but she the smirk swiftly left her face as suddenly as it had appeared. She could hear him moving around in the room, could hear the mumblings of 'Mom', 'Dad', and 'I'm sorry' over and over again. She had felt something rise in her throat, a lump that she had not felt for a long time, and a horrible burning sensation prickled behind her eyes. She felt her nails cut into her skin as she xlenched her hands into fists.

Why couldn't she cry for her mother? After all the years, Viper asked herself that question, and found that she didn't have an answer. The tears she felt then were not for her family, but for the lost little boy's in the cell. He would never, could never, love her for caring for the man who had killed his family, she knew that now. No amount of pain or persuasion would change that, no matter how much she wanted it too. A part of her mind started to confront what it was she had become, but anger quickly replaced sadness, and she whirled her frame about to face the noise she heard on the lower levels.

She was going to prevent those insolents brats from taking away her revenge on Batman, that was why she couldn't kill him just yet…that's why. Not caring that she left his cell door open, Viper clutched the Agien in her hand and ran down the hallways and stairs to the third landing. She walked over to the railing and looked down at the four people who were causing enough noise to awake the dead.

The seer seemed to orchestrating the lot of them, and he seemed to be waiting for her, she could smell it on him. The gothic witch was there as well, as well as the pink-haired one, and they were tearing apart the boxes of fishing nets and hooks. Her eyes rested on a red-headed alien, blasting apart a wall with an angry fire alit in her emerald eyes. Viper's yellow slits narrowed in anger, her mind exclaiming how dare these intruders tear apart her temporary domain.

Climbing onto the railing, she crouched long enough for the seer to realize she was there, and reveled in the fear she saw in his brown eyes. She did not notice the fear turn into determination. She let out a hiss-like laugh as the other three all looked up to see her watching them.

" Hello Titans."

There was a silence there that could rival an old western movie before Ahren said in a pleasant tone, " Why hello there Viper. Hope your feeling well."

" Where's the rest of your 'team'," she spat back, ignoring his remark. " Besides the one I have, I thought you still had seven."

" Well," he said slowly, trying to keep Viper's attention on him as both Raven and Jinx moved closer to the crouched villain. " We gave them the night off, superheroes need days off too! Or else, the whole union thing gets started, and no one wants to see someone in tights out holding picket signs in the midday heat! I mean, your skin can't really breathe in those suits, and most are made of polyester as well--"

" SHUT UP!" Viper screamed as she jumped down and hit Ahren so hard he went flying into the opposite wall. " DO YOU THINK I GIVE A SHIT ABOUT WHAT YOU WEAR! I DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYTHING THAT AS TO DO WITH YOU! YOU ALL ARE NOTHING TO ME, UNDERSTAND! NOTHING!"

She had continued to wail on Ahren for the duration of her declaration, leaving him with a bloody nose and some cracked ribs before Raven managed to fling the crazed woman across the room. Starfire swooped down, and helped him to his feet, letting him witness Raven and Jinx both fighting with all their strength against one small, but very angry girl.

" Are you still certain we must save her from herself?" Starfire asked the wounded Ahren quietly, her anger still, miraculously in check. " Even after she has damaged you so thoroughly?"

" Yes Star," he grunted out as one hand clutched his broken ribcage. " Because she is completely able to be saved, I know for a fact now."

" Do you?" Starfire answered incredulously. " What of her statement that she dislikes us all?"  
" Well red," Ahren said, managing a small smile. " Because she was lying when she said that. And she was telling such a big lie, that it caused her to become pretty angry, hence why I'm doubled over here with a bleeding nose."

" Are you certain," Starfire asked, still not sure that the psychic was thinking coherently, for Viper had hit him quite hard.

" Yeah," Ahren said, straightening up, wincing only slightly. " I'm psychic remember? I catch those things that are on the surface of one's mind, especially when one is practically screaming at you. She does care Star, and it's quite a bit at that."

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" _Now son," a large man in a suit said as the car stopped in front of a very, VERY large manor. " You better show Mr. Wayne some gratitude for taking you in, at least more gratitude than you showed me for taking you here."_

_He looked back to the silent, stoic nine year old in the backseat. He had heard all about the circus accident that had happened two weeks ago, this kid's parents had been murdered that night, and Batman had shown up just in time to pull the distraught child away from the broken bodies on the floor. He had handed the boy over to Commissioner Gordon, and said he was going to question the manager over who might've been responsible._

_Two weeks later, in a move that shocked all of Gotham, billionaire Bruce Wayne( who incidentally had been present at the circus that night) had offered to take in the orphaned Richard Grayson. Of course, the social workers working with the boy had quickly agreed, for now the boy would have his entire future set, it seemed a just thing for the tragic boy whose parents had been killed in their city._

_However, the boy had taken the news rather badly, and after a loud screaming match which he did not win, his few belongings were packed up and he was whisked away to Wayne Manor. The driver, shaking himself from the recollections he was having, got out of the car, grabbed the boy and his belongings, and marched him up to the large front doors. _

_He rang the doorbell only once, and almost immediately, the door was answered by a friendly, but proper looking man who said, " Ah, Master Grayson. It's so nice you have consented to come here. Come in, come in."_

_The older man ushered in the pair, had a few words with the driver before he left, and then closed the door as the portly man left with a stack of signed papers. The butler turned about to look intently upon the silent young boy in front of him._

" _I am very sorry about your parents Master Grayson," he said in a sincere voice. " Their death was most tragic, and certainly undeserved. I am, however, happy that you are now living here. My name is Alfred, and I'm the butler for Master Bruce." After he was met with silence, he cleared his throat and said, " I understand that your called Richie--"_

" _Only my mom is allowed to call me that!" the boy exclaimed so vehemently, that Alfred actually took a step back before he recovered his composure."_

" _I understand child," Alfred said in a soothing voice, one that seemed to work because the boy calmed down afterwards. " But perhaps I can call you something a bit less formal…after all, you are only nine years old. How about Dick? That's a nickname for Richard."_

_The blue-eyed boy considered for a moment before nodding his head in assent, the butler's sincere manner winning over him in spite of himself. He walked away to examine parts of the large room, but was promptly interrupted when a man in his late twenties with dark hair and an impressive figure walked towards him._

" _Hello Dick," he said in a smooth voice that reminded Dick of the slimy politicians he saw on T.V. sometimes. " My name is Bruce Wayne, and I'm very happy you decided to come and live here with me and Alfred. My old friend seems to think it'll do me a bit of good to have a kid around again."_

" _I didn't decide to live here Mr. Wayne," Dick said in a low, angry tone. " I wanted to stay with my circus, with my other family, but the social workers forced me to live here! I don't want to stay in Gotham!"_

" _Call me Bruce son," Bruce said with a sad smile, his smooth voice disappearing in an instant, changing to colder, harsh tones. " And I understand why you wanted to leave, but your nine years old, and a circus is no place for a child without his parents. It seemed safer to the city for you to live with me. I was there that night Dick, I felt sorry that I couldn't help your parents, so I'm helping them the only way I can see how…by taking care of you until you can do it for yourself."_

_He finished, and matched the intense stare this child was giving him, deep blue meeting light blue, before Dick looked down. He walked over to Alfred, picked up his two suitcases, and asked the old man, " Where am I supposed to sleep Al?"_

" _I'll show you to your room Master Dick," Alfred said with a smile at the child's nickname for him. " I suspect that Master Bruce would like to see you for dinner, so I'll show you where that is after we drop off your things. Then, I'll give you the grand tour, if that's all right."_

_When the boy gave a nod, the two set off towards his new room, all the while Dick could feel Bruce Wayne's eyes following him out of the room. It would be a while before he would call him Bruce._

Why didn't they stop? He felt bad enough as it was, why was his brain imposing more punishment on him? He had never wanted to stay in Wayne manor, but why did he have to see himself being so hurtful to one person in the world who gave a damn about him?

He thought he heard noises coming from the floors below him, but that didn't matter anymore, nothing mattered anymore.

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Cyborg, Beastboy, and Lily crept up the stairs as quietly as they could, pausing every now and then for Cyborg to run a scan of the foundation to make sure it wouldn't collapse or creak as they walked over. Silence was their companion for a good fifteen minutes before they started to hear the din the others were making. It took another five minutes for that racket to change suddenly violent, and they knew that Viper had been drawn away for the moment. They decided to sprint up the rest of the stairs, stopping only long enough for Cyborg to scan the floor for life, and for Beastboy to sniff the air with his bloodhound nose.

They continued until they reached the second to last floor, and they spread out, each searching a different part of the building for rooms and blood. Fruitless, they ran up the next flight of stairs to arrive at the seventh and final floor.

" You don't think that Viper hid him on a lower floor do ya?" Beastboy asked worriedly as he morphed back into his human form. " I mean, to try and fool us and all?"

" No," Lily said with certainty as she walked over to the large, open area of the floor, an area that had one small window on the wall and chains on the floor. " He's here, on this floor. I can feel it."

" How is he Lil?" Cyborg asked, trying to mask the fear in his voice.

" I'm not sure," she said, fixing Cyborg's eyes with her lavender ones. " I won't be sure what condition he's in until I can touch him. That's how my magic, or power to you guys, works…I need contact for my healing."

" But what about when you use your other powers," Beastboy asked. " Like when you speak those spell and stuff? Like when we in the burning school?"

" I was in contact then Beastboy," Lily said as they all started to wander down a particularly dark passageway. " I was in contact with the air I used to push the flames aside, and I had a bottle of water strapped to my side so I could grab oxygen from that source to keep the air strong. I need contact for my magic…power… to work."

" Oh," Beastboy said, his mind registering the new information he had just digested. " I guess I never thought of it like that. So, if you wanted to do a water spell, you need to be in water?"

" Sort of."

" What about fire?" he pressed on further. " Couldn't you have just used a spell to push the fire away from us? That's what I thought you were doing."

" No Beastboy," she replied, pausing momentarily as Cyborg burst down a door to check inside. " That was man-made…I can only manipulate certain aspects of nature. Fire isn't natural."

" What about lightning made fire?"

" Perhaps," Lily said with a smile.

Cyborg suddenly stopped, and crouched down to examine something on the ground. " This is dried blood…my scanners are saying it's Robin's!" He rose quickly, almost knocking Lily and Beastboy against the wall. He looked all over for a door, but he couldn't find one. " ARG! Where is it!"

Lily looked all over for a door, muttering a spell under her breath to manipulate the wind to test for hidden cracks in the walls. Beastboy promptly turned into a bloodhound once more, picked up the scent from the blood on the ground, started to follow his nose as the other two continued to probe and check. His trail led him around a corner, where he spotted more of the dried blood, he let out a bark and continued to the next patch of blood, this one not dry, but wet instead.

Beastboy morphed back, and he found he was facing a door, a door with a small grate in it. He leaned against the door to look through the grate, but let out a gasp of surprise as the door pushed open. He opened the door, and there on the floor was an eighteen year old boy with matted black hair, and closed, unmasked eyes.

" Guys!" he yelled out as loud as he could as he fell to his knees to try and help his beaten friend. " I found him! Get over here!"

It didn't take the other two long to reach him, although Lily almost slid on the ground when her foot hit the slick, wet blood on the floor. No noise escaped her, but her eyes went wide at the sight of Beastboy crouched over Robin.

" Oh my God…" Cyborg hissed out when he saw the blood on the ground, not bothering to scan it. " I don't care what Ahren said, I'm going to kill her!"

" It's not his Cy," Lily said as she gently pushed Beastboy out of her way, and placed her hands over the young man's chest. " It's Viper's…he doesn't have any wounds that would bleed that much, I would feel them."

" How could he--" Cyborg started to ask.

" He didn't," Lily said, as she checked his vital signs. " She did. Why, I don't know, hopefully Ahren will be able to answer that question. Right now, we need to worry about Robin. He has no external wounds, however, he is covered with numerous internal bruises and welts, as well as having quite a few broken bones."

" How could she torture him without making any marks?" Cyborg asked helplessly as he watched Lily heal some of the broken bones with her green energy…or magic as she liked to call it. Beside him, Beastboy nodded, his hands clutching at the air as if trying to find something to hold him up.

" Something unnatural," Lily said quietly as she healed Robin's broken ribs. " There are methods, not known to many, but methods that can cause this sort of damage. I don't think Viper learned these ways, but I do think someone gave her a tool to implement those methods. Someone who knows evil magic…power."

" But," Beastboy said in a small voice. " Why would anyone like that want to hurt Rob?"

" To stop a child from entering the world," Lily said, gazing up at the other two with wise eyes. " To stop this child from helping the golden-eyed being Ahren as seen in his visions…that's probably the best bet I can think of."

She turned back to finish healing Robin's physical wounds, and then turned to look at Cyborg. She didn't need to say what she wanted, Cyborg immediately bent down and picked up the unconscious Robin, cradling him as if he was a child.

" Is he going to be all right Lil?" Cyborg asked as the three hurried to join the others on the first floor. " He's not moving much."

" His physical injuries are not serious," she said slowly, as if dreading what she was going to say next. " But, there are definite mental problems going in his head. He's lost, whatever Viper did broke through a protective barrier he constructed and now he's…well, he's broken inside his own mind."

" Are you saying he's insane?" Cyborg said quietly, looking down at Robin with tears in his human eye.

" No," Lily said calmly. " But, he's lost…he might not be the same for a little bit until he finds his way again."

" Like amnesia?" Beastboy asked quietly.

" Yes," Lily said as they continued down the stairs. " Something like that."

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" _Look Bruce, I know who you are, I mean, I found the Batcave…not that it was all that hard to find," Dick exclaimed to an angry looking Batman glaring down at him, then over at Alfred who was standing near the main computer console. " I'm not going to blab to anyone, but why won't you at least let me help you?"_

" _Because you are only eleven year old Dick, that's why," Batman said angrily as he tried to walk away from the stubborn boy. " You have no idea what your asking me."_

" _Yes I do!" Dick said angrily as he followed Batman to the alcove where he changed out of his suit. " I'm asking that you let me help you fight the evil that infests this city! You can train me, I mean, there's more than enough room down here for my gear and stuff."_

" _Your gear?" Bruce asked, a dark laugh emitting from his mouth as he walked out of the alcove in a T-shirt and sweats. " And what gear would that be exactly Dick? I'm not taking you on as a side-kick kid."_

" _I wouldn't be a side-kick," Dick said indignantly as he followed Bruce back over to where Alfred was standing with a glass of water. "It's not like I can't do anything, I was an acrobat in the circus, so I'm pretty well-balanced and such. No, I want to be your partner."_

" _My partner," Bruce echoed slowly, turning around to face Dick fully. He had grown slightly taller in two years, though not much. It was always those eyes that pulled Bruce in, they were such a deep blue, and they seemed to look right through you. " You're eleven Dick."_

" _So?" Dick answered, not wavering a bit. " I have as much reason to fight out there with you as you do! I'll practice hard, and I'll never complain about what you have me do for training. Please! I need to do this!"_

" _Why exactly Dick," Bruce asked mildly. " Because if it had anything to do with revenge, forget it."_

" _I want to prevent what happened to me from happening to anyone else," Dick said with such fierce determination that it made both Bruce and Alfred raise their eyebrows. " No one should EVER have to go through what I did, and if I can help by pounding the crap out of villains besides you, then that's what I want to do."_

_Bruce looked at Dick for quite a bit of time, the blue eyes not leaving his once, before he looked over and asked the butler, " I'm guessing you had something to do with this Alfred right? Is that what you think I should do, I mean, he doesn't have any powers"_

" _I think that you should help provide guidance for young Master Dick," Alfred answered with a twinkle in his eye. " I think that the boy has proved on more than one occasion that he is quite capable. Besides Master Bruce, you also do not have any powers."_

_Bruce looked at his old friend for a moment before looking back at Dick with a stern look on his face. " If I allow this, you have to promise to listen to every instruction I give you, and follow it."_

" _I will Bruce," Dick said, a fire kindling in his azure eyes._

" _And not ask when you'll go out with me, I'll decide that when you're ready."_

" _I won't."_

" _And," Bruce pushed, determined to have some sort of agreement about this. " That you'll still continue with school, home school mind you, and will still plan on going to college some day."_

" _I will Bruce already!"_

" _Fine then," the tall man said, somewhat reluctantly mind you, and held out his hand. " I'll train you to be my partner to fight crime."_

" _Sounds good," Dick said as he slipped his small hand into Bruce's large one to shake. " I won't let you down Bruce, I promise."_

" _So," Bruce asked after a moment's silence. " What do you want me to call you?"_

_Dick looked over at Alfred, who gave him a nod and an encouraging smile. He looked back towards the waiting Bruce, took a deep breath, and then flashed a true, and genuine smile._

" _Robin."_

That one wasn't that bad. He took a positive step in helping stop villains and dark creatures from hurting others that day. However, it led to painful memories, memories where he did break that promise he made to his mentor all those years ago. Memories where he became almost as dark as the creatures he sought to punish. Even though he said revenge wasn't part of his decision, it was always there whenever he fought the bad guys who plagued his adoptive city.

He could sense he wasn't in the cell anymore, and his body wasn't in nearly as much pain as it had been, but he didn't really care. Whatever happened at this point didn't change the things he had done in his past, things he couldn't change. He after all, was just a silly little boy with no powers trying to play with those that did.

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Raven was slammed into a crate of fish bones on the floor by a wickedly powerful kick from Viper. Jinx was somewhere to her left, trapped underneath a bunch of fishing nets, and Ahren was still struggling for a breath. Starfire was MIA. So, it was just her against a suicidal Viper, who was far into her rage that she didn't seem to be registering the injuries she was taking.

" Anytime now Jinx would be great!" Raven yelled as she rolled out of the way of a punch and levitated herself into the air.

" I'm working on it Raven!" Jinx yelled back as she tried to push the heavy nets off of her.

" Are you getting tired Raven?" Viper taunted as she threw a couple of empty crates up at the gothic girl. " I haven't even broken a sweat yet! Maybe…maybe I should give you a breather and just beat the shit out of the seer instead!" She launched herself at Ahren, who merely looked at her passively and made no effort to block her attack.

" No Viper!" Raven exclaimed as she swooped down in front of Ahren and blocked the yellow-eyed girl with a shield of black energy. " I've got plenty left in me! Get away from him!"

Raven forced the fight away from Ahren and began fighting Viper again on the ground, using her black energy to take hits from the villainess. " Why do you keep calling him 'seer' anyway!" she asked angrily, lashing out with a ray of her power.

" Because that's what he is," Viper answered when she rolled up out of a dive she took to avoid the ray. " He sees the future and what not. Don't play stupid and say he doesn't, that's just insulting to me!"

The fight intensified for a few minutes, neither opponent seeming to have an advantage, but then Viper grabbed Raven by the arm when she lowered her guard, and flung her with all her strength to the other side of the room. When Raven crashed through a beam and didn't get up, Viper turned around and started to walk towards Ahren, who was still gazing at her with a polite expression on his face.

" Well now seer," she said with hatred dripping off every one of her hiss-like words. " No one left to protect you is there? I guess I'll just have to--"

" Not touch him at all," a voice said from behind her.

Viper had no chance at all to through up a defense against the surprise attacker, and she was thrown against the opposite wall, where she landed beside Raven. When she tried to get up, she felt hands grab her and hurl upwards to slam her into the roof, and then hurtle her back into the floor. Dazed, she swung blindly at her attacker, and was swiftly met with a powerful punch in the face, giving her a nose to match Ahren's. She rolled out of the way of another punch, but was instead met with a dozen of very powerfully charged starbolts, one hitting her after another. She staggered against the wall she had fallen into after the starbolt barrage, but then was met with three successive green beams that all hit her in her chest. Before Viper could even fully comprehend what had happened, she felt two very strong, but small hands grip her arms and pin them behind her. She was marched forwards to stand directly in front of a patiently waiting Ahren, who merely smiled at the battered Viper.

" Do you feel any better Star?" he asked, and smiled at the alarmed look that possessed Viper's face.

" Not truthfully friend," Starfire answered curtly from behind Viper. " But I do have a small measure of justification I believe now."

" Good."

" What the hell is going on?" Viper hissed angrily, unable to struggle against the strong grip the Tamaranean had on her. " Why didn't you kill me?"

" Because I have to talk to you," Ahren answered calmly, almost pleasantly. He gestured to both Jinx and Raven, who were now walking towards them and said, " We had to make you believe you were winning you see?"

Viper continued to glare at him, refusing to answer in anger that she had been outsmarted.

" Well," Ahren said suddenly. " I guess I should start this therapy session shouldn't I? To be completely honest, I had no idea what I was going to try and talk to you about today. I mean, the vision told me I needed to try, but where do I even begin with someone like you Viper? Then, you gave me the answer today when you were so eloquently screaming at me."

" I didn't tell you anything except how much I hate all of you," Viper hissed.

" Really," Ahren replied, a coolness in his voice now. " Well, you're wrong again my dear, because you most certainly did, even if it was unknowingly. You were lying Viper, when you said you hated all of us, because you most certainly do NOT hate all of us. In fact, it's the farthest from hate isn't it? It's love isn't it Viper?"

" Shut up," Viper hissed through clenched teeth. " Shut up right now!"

" No Viper," Ahren shot back. " Because you need to hear this! You can't hate all of us because you're in love with one of us aren't you? I'm even willing to bet that I know who that person is too! It answers why you haven't killed him yet, when you had a whole week to do so. It answers why you've been obsessed with him for the past two years. It even answers why you have blood on your hands , but no knife in your hands."

" You are delusional."

" Really? I'm delusional? No, you are Vanessa Bowman," Ahren said as he closed the distance between the two of them so that his nose was nearly touching hers. " You are because you continue to act under this façade of evil, when I don't believe you are."

" What the fuck do you--"

" Quite a bit actually Vanessa," he interrupted.

" DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

" Why Vanessa? Because it makes you confront the monster you have become? You need to do that now, before you're unable to do so."

He paused for a moment, staring unflinchingly into her hateful eyes, before she finally lowered her head and whispered, " I've only ever been able to destroy. What makes you think you can make a difference when no one else has?"

" Because you've never let anyone have a chance," Ahren answered back softly. " So I made my own one. You don't have to destroy Vanessa…you chose to a long time ago. Robin himself, he said that he could've very well have made that same choice, but he didn't. And while you did, it' doesn't mean you have to keep making that choice! He understands this, I know he does, he doesn't hate you Vanessa…I don't think he ever really did."

" But he doesn't love me," Viper whispered back, as if she was a lost child instead of a mass murderer.

" No, he can't Vanessa," Ahren replied. " But that doesn't mean no one ever will. But first, you need to realize what you have become…you need to recognize the monster for what it is before you can banish it and start again. You're so strong, I know you can do it…cast Viper aside and become who you once were Vanessa."

Nothing moved for what seemed to be eternity, and then, something so amazing happened that no one seemed to know what to do but Ahren. Viper started to cry. Ahren gave Starfire a nod, and she let go of the sobbing girl, and let Ahren cradle her as she cried.

" It's hard I know," Ahren whispered in her ear. " But it'll get better…I promise it will."

Starfire walked over to join the other two dumb-founded girls as they watched one of their most deadly foes become nothing more but a cowering, weeping child. Suddenly, before she could stop herself from feeling it, pity for the pathetic creature washed over Starfire, and she felt her heart go out to Vanessa Bowman. She looked over at Raven and Jinx, and saw that they felt the same, as if they hadn't just been fighting her minutes earlier. Even though she had hurt both herself and Robin horribly, Vanessa Bowman was just forced to confront what she was all at once, everything she had ever done, and that was enough for Starfire to feel sorry for her.

She understood then how Ahren was supposed to help her…he was meant to reach a part of her mind and show her the truth. She knew that was what he was doing on the floor now, and while it might be painful for both healer and victim right then, both would emerge stronger afterwards, and Vanessa may even begin to atone for her sins.

It was awhile before Starfire felt someone tap her shoulder, and whirled about to see Lily standing behind her. The lavender-eyed girl pointed towards the door and gave Starfire a sad smile. The alien dashed off without another look back, much to concerned for Robin's well-being to focus on anything else. Lily turned her attention to the scene in front of her, having watched everything from the from one level up. She watched Vanessa stop shaking and she looked up at the people staring at her with deadened yellow eyes.

" Why did you guys give a damn? I haven't done anything but hurt you in my life," Vanessa said nothing in her voice betraying how she truly felt.

" Well," Ahren said with a sad smile has he disentangled himself from her and helped her to her feet. " There's you first lesson Vanessa. Sometimes you are needed for things that you don't even see. Your going to do something that will help a lot of people… something that will help you atone for all you have done. What exactly that thing is, I have no idea, but you'll just have to trust me. After all, it one of the rules."

" Rules?" Vanessa asked.

" Rules," Lily answered for Ahren. " Rules to life. To trust, to love, and to live. Simple in theory, but much more complicated than many people think. You've only just begun to learn… time is what you need."

Nodding, Vanessa allowed Ahren and Jinx to lead her out to a waiting Justice League shuttle, to face her fate and punishment for what she had done. She stopped suddenly, reached into her pocket and pulled out a wooden rod. She looked at it strangely before she tossed it on the ground saying to Lily and Raven, " Don't touch it with your bare skin…it'll cause you more pain than you can imagine. Use it as evidence if you want, that's what I used on Robin."

Lily watched her fade from sight, then looked down with Raven at the stick on the ground. Lily ripped off part of her shirt, and wrapped up the rod in the cloth before tucking it in her pants.

" How is he?" Raven asked, not bothering with the wooden rod anymore. " Truthfully please Lily."

" Not good then," Lily answered as they started to head towards the exit, leaving the ruins behind them for the police to clean up. " But, we rescued him, and that's what's important right now. Star's with him, and we'll just tackle saving him when we get back to the Tower."

" You sound confident about that," Raven said with a dark laugh as they exited the fish factory and headed back towards their home.

" Well," Lily said with a shrug. " Someone as to be I guess…might as well be me."

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" _Robin, it wasn't your fault today. Stop beating yourself up about it."_

" _It wasn't my fault Bruce? Those two people died today because I was stupid enough to get myself hurt by Joker! I failed, and it is completely my fault, so stop pretending that it wasn't!"_

" _You need to stop wallowing in this self-imposed self-pity Dick. It's not helping this team or this city."_

" _The maybe I shouldn't be part of this team anymore. I think I need to leave, need to try some stuff on my own."_

" _You are fifteen Dick! You have no idea what you are even talking about doing, you are still a child!"_

" _No I'm not Bruce. I haven't been a child since I saw my parents fall from those trapezes six years ago. I know what I'm talking about, and maybe that's why I need to do this. I can't take this suffocating atmosphere anymore Bruce, this city is slowly killing me, and I realized that today fighting the Joker. I need to something on my own, something away from Gotham and something with new people. There are plenty of cities that need heroes, I just need to find the right one."_

" _You're determined about this are you?"_

" _Yes."_

" _Well, I can tell you that there's a new city on the California coastline that could use some help. Called Jump City. If you're going to be so stubborn about this, and seeing as you don't care about this city anymore, you can go there."_

" _Bruce I--"_

" _Goodnight Dick."_

That was the last actual conversation he had with his mentor. There were correspondences of course, but nothing beyond that in three years. He had abandoned his partner because he had both shed blood and seen blood shed. Batman had never quite treated him the same since he had accidentally killed that gangster, and after that, he wasn't going to be surprised if he outright hated him. Looks like your plan is ruined Vanessa…Batman hated him, he wouldn't care about what happened here.

He felt the warmth of a hand in his hand, but he couldn't respond. He just sat there, waiting for an absolution to come. An absolution that he knew he didn't deserve, or would even get. As far as he was concerned, Robin was broken, and Dick Grayson had just realized he died a long time ago one night in a circus tent.

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**A/N:** Now do you guys see why I had to split them? It was a behemoth of a chapter! I hope you guys liked it though…I'll try to post the second part of Rescue sooner rather than later!

Oh yeah, I don't really know the exact history of Dick Grayson so I just sorat filled in the gaps with my own ideas. sorry if I upset any of you!

Remember…I love reviews! Tell me what you think!

Osco


	7. Rescue Part Two: Redemption

**A/N: **Howdy ho folks! Thanx to all the people who reviewed the last chapter! It's good to know that not everyone thinks I blow ! This chapter will probably be just as long… so prepare yourselves!

Just as an aside, some one mentioned that my characters, I'm assuming my own, were close to becoming Mary Sueish last chapter. I kinda disagree, but if you can find examples of this behavior, I will strive to rectify the problem! Thanx again for the review though Spector!

Onto the show!

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**Chapter 7: Rescue Part II**

**Redemption:**

The room she was in was a cold, unfriendly room that generally made its inhabitant very uncomfortable. But, she didn't mind. The discomfort was reassuring in a way, reminding her that she still had much to be held accountable for in her remaining time on this earth. Well, in a matter of speaking, because she was not exactly on the Earth anymore. The room did have a small window, giving her a view of Earth mingled with the stars, and she spent most of her time just staring, wishing she wasn't like the space she gazed at: empty and alone.

The door gave a whoosh sound as it was opened, and she turned her attention to the very impressive figure standing in the doorway. He was quite tall, and his physique was something God-like, something that could be easily viewed in the tight green and black suit he wore. He had a black goatee and a piercing, glowing green gaze on his masculine, dark-skinned face; the gaze was currently looking at her in disgust.

" I'm here to give you a message," the man said in a deep tone. " You are to stay in this cell until your trial, which the date of that is still undetermined. As long as you cooperate, there will be no need for the League to exercise force against you."

The girl stared back at him, mutely nodding her head in agreement before she directed her gaze towards the window once more. She really didn't care if he thought she was being insolent or not, she merely wanted to deal with her pain by herself.

" Do you even want to know why you're to be given a trial?" The dark man asked her contemptuously when she failed to give him any vocal recognition that she had heard his prior proclamation. " Because, to be frank, it came as a bit of a surprise to the League when we received word from Batman that he wanted that."

" Why then Green Lantern?" the girl asked in a dead, hollowed voice.

" Because someone spoke for you," Green Lantern answered with a skeptical tone laced in his voice. " I suppose it was someone of import if he managed to convince Batman to give you a chance before we condemn you like we should've before."

" That's great," she said, her finger tracing a constellation on the fogged up, glass window. She heard Green Lantern give a derisive snort and exit the room, the door whooshing shut as quickly as it had opened. She turned her head towards the shut door, and with a morose sigh, rose up off her cot and pick up the food tray he had left behind. She absentmindedly ate her food, for no better reason than it gave her something to focus on other than the screams she heard in her mind.

It seemed a million years had passed since she had been in that factory, intertwined with the brown-haired psychic on the floor as he showed her the truth of what she was. It had been immensely painful, looking at every lie, wrong-doing, murder, torture, and everything else she had ever committed since she was born. Perhaps if she had just witnessed the victims it would've been less painful, but she saw the people her actions affected as well. A family who lost a son because he was in her way, siblings who had turned on each other because she had spread a lie to attract Batman's attention, a wife whose husband was ripped from her due to his support for the Justice League. Those were only a few of the visions that swam into her consciousness as Ahren exposed her to herself.

However, nothing compared to what she saw after everything had passed her eyes, and that was a great, scaly and rotting being that repulsed any who laid eyes upon it. Without asking, she knew what she saw was herself, what she had created inside her because she had thought she was entitled too if it meant hurting Batman. She could feel the creature claw at her, even now, itching to get out and finish what it set out to do, but she repressed the feeling and flung the empty food tray back onto the ground. She didn't fault the members of the League who came and monitored her for treating her like an animal, she really couldn't because she thought the same as they all did. She deserved nothing but their contempt, so she graciously accepted it unflinchingly.

She laid back down on her cot, not fancying gazing out the window any longer, and closed her eyes in concentration, now able to contemplate what Green Lantern had told her earlier. He had mentioned someone vouching for her, why she had no idea, but it seemed to coincide with something Wonder Woman had told her as she was led to her dwelling.

"_Be grateful you're getting an actual room…most criminals like you are placed in the containment rooms in the lower part of the base. But, someone asked if you would be put in a room and be supervised…"_

Everything had been such a blur since she had thrown down the Agien at the two girls' feet, she was surprised she had remembered that statement at all. The seer and the pink-haired witch had escorted her outside the factory, where a Justice League transport was waiting for her. She remembered only a blur of red and then she was up in space, being led down a corridor by the beautiful Wonder Woman. She had then been locked in this extremely cold room, and had been left uninterrupted except for an occasional glance inside to make sure she was still there. They had all expected her to try and escape immediately, but after four days of complacency from her, they had all accepted that whatever happened down in that fish factory had subdued her.

But, Green Lantern's words jarred her mind out of memories so she could focus. She scrunched her yellow eyes closed even tighter than before and thought to herself, ' Who would someone keep trying to help me? Why would anyone help me? A trial…and Batman has agreed to it? He's been at Titan Tower since my arrival, who would know he was there except the League?'

She suddenly broke off her musings abruptly, her eyes snapping open as something wormed its way into her memory loud and clear.

"_Sometimes you are needed for things that you don't even see…You're going to do something soon to help atone for all the wrongs you have done."_

" Ahren," she breathed sharply as the memory replayed itself over again in her mind. " It's Ahren…but why the hell would he…why would any of them…just, why? I've done nothing but hurt those kids, why would he, or any of them, try to give me a chance against the death I deserve?"

She took a deep breath, and pushed herself up onto her forearms in an attempt to make herself uncomfortable. She couldn't fathom why the Titans would listen to the young seer, but for some odd reason, they were. The fact that they, and Batman to boot, were even trusting his relentless judgment in her was the top factor that told her there was something going on that she didn't know about. Something that obviously transcended their hatred for her for almost killing their leader…again. She racked her brain for answers, but after a frustrated fifteen minutes, she laid back down and closed her eyes. Whatever the answer was, it was unclear as her future, and she no longer had the energy to examine it further.

She felt herself drift off into her uneasy sleep, and thought to herself before the sorrow and suffering of her victims and wrongs overtook her subconscious only one thing.

' I hope he's all right.'

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" Friend Lily," an exhausted Starfire exclaimed to the lavender-eyed healer. " Robin is not all right! If he was no longer damaged, why as he not awoken yet? There must be a reason for his unconscious state, and we must find it!"

" Star," Lily said in a placating tone, raising her hands to stave off more of the drained alien's frustration. " He is PHYSICALLY all right. The tool that Viper/Vanessa used was meant to only cause pain, not cause any type of life-threatening injury. His visible injuries, like the broken bones and minor cuts, are healed enough to not threaten his life. However, his mind is what's causing him to stay in the coma."

" But it has been four days since the battle!" Starfire exclaimed angrily as she pounded her fists into the wall, leaving two large dents when she lowered her arms. " He should not still be unresponsive! Even the Justice League physicians cannot find a way to awaken him! Why cannot Ahren simply look into Robin's mind and find where he is!"

" Because," Lily said wearily, the four days and Starfire's ranting finally taking their toll on the young Wiccan. " If Ahren tried to look into his mind, he would be so utterly lost he wouldn't even know where to start. Robin is lost Starfire, he's lost inside himself due to the pain he endured. He as to find his way again, and none of us can help him."

" But why?" the now forlorn looking girl said as she sunk down into a chair beside her unconscious boyfriend. " Why can we not aid him?"

" He wouldn't let us," Lily said as she kneeled down and cupped Starfire's clasped hands in her own. " He's just stubborn like that…always as been."

" I thought Ahren said there would be someone to help him?" Starfire asked quietly in response to Lily's answer.

" He did," Lily replied. " Someone to help him heal. Not someone to help him awaken; only he has the power to do that."

" I need to tell him something," Starfire said quietly, her emerald eyes focused on his face. " Something very important. Something that he has the right to know before any others…"

She trailed off, leaving a confused look on Lily's face, before she rose from her seat, and once more took Robin's limp hand in her own. Lily was about to ask what Starfire needed to tell Robin, but thought better of it, and with a quick, " I'll be right back," left the room so the red-headed alien had some privacy. She hurried down the corridor, and entered the elevator that would take her up to the common room, where undoubtedly, Ahren and Batman were in another argument.

She found she was correct in her assumption when she exited the elevator and found a brown-haired young man in a heated discussion with a very tall, and very darkly dressed, man. She slipped beside Raven and Jinx silently and asked in a hushed voice, " What are they yelling about now?"

" Oh you know, the usual," Jinx answered back with a wave of her hand towards the two, a bored quality to her voice. " 'Kill Viper' or 'She's needed for the future'. Honestly, you think the two would get sick of their bickering, they're starting to remind of an old married couple!"

" Batman seems to think that Ahren misread his vision," Raven added on in her usual monotone voice. " Of course, we all know that's stupid, but Batman is very upset that Robin is still not responding to any methods to wake him up. He blames Viper, and I really thin he wants to see her die personally right now."

" Hopefully," Jinx said with a small smirk once Raven had finished. " He'll realize he's being foolish, and stop pestering Ahren to recall his vision for the entire JL council. I guess we were wrong in thinking you guys were ever working for them uh Lils?"

" Yep," Lily said as she leaned against the wall and put a hand to her temple, trying to ward off the headache she knew was coming. " You all were wrong about that. Why is Ahren getting so angry? He should just let Batman rant and rave until it's out of his system, not encourage his anger right now. Look, even Superman thinks that this is idiotic!"

" That's men for ya," Jinx quipped quickly for the brunette.

" I think it goes deeper than that Jinx," Raven said as she cast a knowing look at the other two girls. " Batman thinks that Ahren is defending Viper, and, in a way, he is. None of the rest of us are shouting for the girl to be treated nicely, and while Ahren really isn't, he most definitely is speaking up more than the rest of us. Robin was Batman's partner for so long, he trained him and taught him everything he knew, and now someone is arguing that the girl responsible for incapacitating him should be viewed as someone who made a harmless mistake? Of course he's pissed off at Ahren, and Ahren is angry that Batman is letting his own rage cloud his judgment. This is all just one vicious cycle until one of them acknowledges the other's point, or until--"

" Robin wakes up and sides with one of them," Lily finished for Raven with an exasperated sigh and a shake of her head.

" Exactly," Raven said as she turned to walk over to Beastboy, who was standing with Cyborg in the opposite corner, listening intently to the argument. " And we aren't any closer to that are we?"

Lily shook her head as the dark-haired girl walked away to stand beside her boyfriend. She then whirled her head around to look at Jinx, who had just tapped her to gain her attention.

" Who do you think bird-boy will side with Lils?" the pink-haired girl asked softly so not to be heard by others. " Ahren's view or his former mentor's?"

" If I knew that," Lily replied just as softly. " Then I would tell them to shut up right now. But the fact is that I don't know anymore than you do. That boy is one of the biggest mysteries I've ever had the pleasure of meeting, I don't think anyone but Starfire knows that answer, and she's to upset right now to even leave his side."

" Poor Star," Jinx answered back, truly sounding sad for the alien girl she had come to like so much. " If anyone could use a break, it's her. She just looks so tired, as if she's carrying this huge burden all by herself."

" Yeah," Lily said, a thought being triggered by the previous statement. " Hey Jinx, as Starfire told you anything about what might be bothering her lately? I mean, because I've noticed too, and I don't think it's just Robin."

" No," Jinx replied, turning her face to look into the other's eyes. " Has she told you anything?"

" Well, not really," Lily confessed. " But she hinted to something. She said she needed to tell Robin first, but it definitely seemed to be a big deal. But, I guess if she wants to tell Robin first, we just need to be patient and hope that he wakes up soon."

" Yeah," Jinx said as the two girls turned back to stare at the two combatants once more. " Just be patient, tell that to them."

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Raven walked away from the other two girls and put an arm discreetly around a distracted Beastboy's lower back. A culmination of the past days' events had started to take a toll on the gothic young woman, and she wanted to feel a sense of comfort at the moment, albeit you could clearly hear what Ahren and Batman were arguing about from this area of the common room.

" I just don't see why you can't let it go Batman! What's done is done, we can't kill her just because your anger is blinding you to the repercussions of that course of action!"

" I will not adopt a fake attitude towards her for your sake Ahren, she as done too much for me to forgive and forget as you have done. As for repercussions, I see none that will grievance mankind too terribly."

" Oh, so the end of free will isn't that big of a deal! My God…you are completely consumed by your rage Batman! My visions aren't wrong, they never have been, and she is needed to prevent that path for the future from happening!"

" Then you have misinterpreted your visions concerning Viper."

" No I haven't! Vanessa is needed, and no matter what your anger is telling you, it won't change my opinion towards her OR my visions!"

" How long is it going to take until they both realize this is pointless?" Cyborg asked Raven in his deep, somber tones when he looked over and saw she had arrived next to the green changeling.

" Like I said to Star and Jinx a few seconds ago," Raven said slowly, drawing both of the boys' attentions to her. " Until they see the other's point, or until Robin wakes up and sides with one of them."

" Well," Cyborg snorted as he directed his attention back towards the fight. " Personally, I'm siding with Batman on this one y'all. I don't think that a person like Viper can possibly do any kind of good that will help prevent a form of the apocalypse sometime in the future."

" But what about Ahren's vision?" Beastboy asked the cybernetic man in a quiet voice. " I mean, if he saw her helping out then maybe--"

" He didn't though Beastboy," Raven interrupted her boyfriend in a sad voice. " He didn't see Viper helping out, he merely heard someone say she was needed in the future. And while that may be true, unless Ahren actually 'sees' her doing something, we'll have a hard time convincing the Justice League not to kill her. She already as caused more damage than some villains twice her age…not to mention she insulted Superman and attacked Batman's former partner. I don't really think they're too pleased with her right now."

" Then do you believe Ahren, Rae?" Beastboy asked his girlfriend in an astonished tone. " I mean, you never trusted him or his visions before. Do you think Viper really will help us out in the future!"

Raven was silent for a moment, aware that both her boyfriend and Cyborg were looking intently at her, before she replied, " No. I don't think Viper will help us in the future Beastboy, but I do believe she has some sort of part to play. An important part as well… but she won't psychically help us ever in my opinion."

" Well," Cyborg said as he started to walk away towards the other two girls. " I'll talk to y'all later. I can't take this arguing any more, my head's starting to pound in protest."

Beastboy and Raven waved bye as he grabbed Jinx's hand and led her out of the common room. Lily lingered for a bit longer, looking as if she wanted to march up to her boyfriend and push him out of the room, but she settled for heaving a heavy sigh and turning on her heel to exit the room after Cyborg and Jinx. The remaining couple did not leave right away, but they did not look back over to the squabble, instead opting to clasp hands in between their forms.

" Is Robin going to be all right Rae?" Beastboy asked quietly, his fears leaking out into his voice.

" I don't know BB," Raven answered as she rested her forehead against his chin. " I hope for all our sakes he will be, but I just don't know anymore."

" He will be," Beastboy said in a confident voice, his fears dispelled as he enveloped his unsure goth in a comforting embrace. " He will be."

Raven gave an uncharacteristic chuckle and lifted her head to softly kiss the changeling on the lips, sending a shiver down both of their spines. " As long as you're confident Beastboy, as long as you're confident everything will be okay."

He gave her his trademark grin as he led her out of the emotionally charged room, and to a spot where they might be able to relax easier. Neither Batman nor Ahren noticed that they were the only ones left in the common room, except Superman who had remained inconspicuously quiet during this whole fight, and continued to spit and spew at each other concerning a girl who had given up on life anyhow.

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He wasn't really cold anymore, and the memories had stopped, but he had not seemed able to wake himself out of his trauma induced sleep. He remembered exactly who he was, and he remembered all of his friends who were probably worried sick over him not waking yet, but could not remember how to wake himself up; more so, he saw no reason for him too anyhow. It was not because his friends needed him because he believed they did not, and it was not to stop bad people from attacking Jump City because they would do that anyway. His entire existence consisted of trying to delay the inevitable, trying to make the world a better place when it clearly did not want to be a better place. What was the point?

He had decided that there was no point, and because there was no point, why should he force himself to wake up in a world that seemed to mock his existence? He felt a part of his mind telling him that there was a reason for him to wake up, a reason tat transcended all of his despair and hopelessness.

_Love._

Love? He didn't believe he deserved that anymore, and no one deserved the pain that accompanied his own love. Everyone he cared about was hurt, intentionally or not, it still happened, and he was sick of it. If he didn't love, or let love in, no one would ever be in pain because of him again.

He heard a peal of laughter from a far corner of his mind, a laugh that he recognized immediately.

" _Have you forgotten already what I told you before?"_

' I know your voice.'

" _Of course you do…it's a hope you are ready to give up because you believe you cause pain and suffering to those you love, but you must understand something. Pain is inevitable, and you cannot prevent all of it, but you can prevent needless pain. You still must help the Golden Child I spoke of, help stop savage pain and despair from happening to countless victims."_

' I'm not strong enough too do that, I never was. I can't do anything but--'

" _Do not give in to the darkness yet! If you do, then mankind as already lost."_

' Why me? What's so God damn special about me that you all can see that I don't!'

" _One's purpose is almost never seen by him or her until the right time. You will know soon, but you must fight through the despair you have encased yourself in. You forget that you have the love of someone who you love very much. Does that not matter to you? Do you wish to cause her pain?"_

' Of course I don't want to.'

" _Then you must find you're way again! A battle is being waged in your home concerning a girl whose importance is not yet realized. You know of whom I speak...will you forsake what you have striven for because you do not think yourself powerful?"_

' No. I can't do that.'

He felt the voice smile, and he then felt himself starting to wake up. His despair and uncertainty was still with him, but he couldn't let all of the pain he went through be for nothing. She was his responsibility, and he would make sure she was given a chance to atone for her wrongs. Before he reentered the world of the living, he heard the voice speak to him one last time, and it sounded as if a second voice had joined the first.

"_Remember these words spoken to you now. Remember when you feel as if you no longer can continue and it seems all is lost: Life is full of pain and suffering and nothing can change that simple fact, but it is what one does after the pain and suffering is over that can dictate change in one's world and life."_

He started to feel as if he was spinning at a tremendously dangerous speed, and the memories of the past as well the images he hoped for the future started to whirl around until it was all one blur to him. He had no idea how long the spinning went on, but when it stopped, he found he had finally opened his eyes.

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Besides the extreme brightness that assailed his eyes when he woke up, Robin found himself otherwise alert and aware of where he was. There were no sluggish forms or blurred images, everything his brain registered was sharp and clear, and his thoughts were completely coherent. He knew this wasn't because he had miraculously healed or such, it was simply because he had a responsibility to see through.

He pushed himself into a sitting position on his hospital bed, and one look outside the window told him it was evening at the Tower. He looked down at himself and saw, to his personal disgust, that he was clothed in a green hospital gown with nothing but boxers underneath. Heaving a disgruntled sigh, he threw the covers off himself and swung his legs over the side of the bed, thinking that he needed to find some proper clothing before he headed up to space. He put his feet down on the floor and tried to support his slight weight, but found himself griping the bed to keep him from collapsing as soreness shot up his legs, leaving him feeling like jelly. It even hurt for him to pull himself back up onto the bed, his arms protesting to any kind of exertion after their ordeal.

" Great," Robin muttered under his breath. " That's just fantastic."

He was about to rant some more about his weakened condition, but he heard someone shift in a chair that was on the other side of his cot and a slight snore of exhaustion. He focused his deep blue eyes on the red hair and smiled despite himself. Starfire looked absolutely beautiful to him even when she was curled up on a chair and snoring, and her breath causing her ruby hair to flutter with every exhalation. He noticed she had one hand dangling off the side of the chair, limply holding what looked to be a book, and the other hand was protectively holding her abdomen. He didn't wan to disturb her, nor did he even want her to look at him at the moment, but he decided that he really needed help to get up to his room and get dressed.

" Star," he called out softly, half hoping that she wouldn't hear him. " Starfire, wake up for a second."

She did however, but she didn't look at Robin, instead turning her head towards the door before resting her head back down on the back of the chair, " Friends please, I am perfectly content where I am located now. Please stop pestering me to remove myself and head up towards my quarters."

" No Star," Robin said in a dull sort of tone, a tone that he really couldn't help himself from using. " Over here. It's me."

Starfire at first didn't fully register who exactly had spoken, and she refused to look up, trying to pretend that she was sleeping. However, after a few seconds of this, she slowly raised her head and turned to face the hospital bed where her boyfriend had been asleep on for the past four days, almost not daring to believe she had heard his voice. Her emerald eyes, not dulled at all by the night's darkness, met Robin's open and dull looking blue orbs, and she let out a small gasp in seeing him sitting up and dangling his legs over the edge of the bed.

" Robin," she breathed as she quickly got up out of her seat, still not daring to move towards the bed and discover that she was just dreaming.

" Yeah," he said in the still dull voice that he knew didn't suit him at all. " It really is me Star. I'm awake."

" Robin!" Starfire squealed as she rushed toward the bed and wrapped her arms around him fiercely, as if she was afraid he'd fall back asleep. He weakly returned her hug, disgusted that she still thought so high of him. He could feel her shaking, and knew she was crying after putting up a strong face for so long, but he couldn't bring himself to stroke her hair or murmur that everything would be all right as he used to do whenever she was upset.

When she was finished with her emotional greeting, Starfire directed her teary green eyes into his and she whispered almost so quietly he couldn't hear her. " I was so afraid Robin! Lily kept saying she could not aid you any further, that you had to find your own way, and that none of us could aid you. It has been a full four days since we rescued you from the Viper woman, and I was terrified you would not awaken."

" Where is she?" Robin asked, her mention of Viper enforcing what he needed to go do before he did anything else. " Did they take her up to space? The Justice League?"

" Do you enquire about the Viper lady?" Starfire asked in a cool tone, pulling herself away from his weak embrace.

" Yes, do you know where she is?"

" She was taken to the Justice League's headquarters," Starfire answered coolly as she pushed herself further away so she was staring at him standing up. " I have heard the Batman and friend Ahren arguing over her fate. Ahren was able to convince that dark man to give her a trial, but now the Batman merely wishes to put her to death."

" WHAT!" Robin exclaimed, leaping off the bed in anger, but then promptly falling to the ground because of his legs. Starfire made no motion to help him up, and frankly he didn't want her to, so he just continued from the floor. " How can they do that! I can't let them! I didn't go through hell just so they can kill her! This is total bull-sh—Wait, is Batman actually here Star?"

" Yes."

He was silent on the floor for a moment, perfectly aware of the hurt expression in Starfire's eyes, and tried to figure out how to get up to space without his former mentor stopping him. He looked up at the angry alien, and it pained him that he was causing her even more pain because he was pushing her away, but he couldn't help that…he needed her help whether he wanted it or not.

" Starfire," he said in his typical leader voice. " I need you to help me up to my room. I need to get some new clothes on, and then we have to go find Ahren, he's the only one who understands what I need to do right now."

" Is this woman who causes you pain really that important to you?" Starfire asked in the same cool voice, her eyes downcast so he wouldn't see the tears that were starting to build-up. " Is her fate more important than anything to you right now Robin? I have waited for over two weeks to tell you something I find vastly important, but I refuse to do it if you are so preoccupied with a woman who almost killed you twice now. I do not understand you sometimes Robin, you seem to brush aside the ones you truly care about you, and only focus on your missions, even if a friend as something important to tell you. I just…I just do not understand."

Robin looked at her, and spoke in a voice that she knew much better than the dull voice. " I'm sorry Star, but I have to do this. You are absolutely right about everything you just said, and I hate that about me, but I HAVE to do this first. It's the only reason why I even let myself wake up into my own meaningless existence, to finish what I started two years ago. I know you don't understand, because you are to kind and pure to understand why I act this way, and frankly, I wouldn't love you as much if you did understand. I promise to listen to what you need to tell me after this is finished, but I have to help her first…please understand that Star."

His answer morphed into a plead by the end of his speech, and Starfire found herself listening to his words despite the anger she felt at him then. She recognized his tone, having listened to it two years ago when he was trying to explain why they couldn't be together on the roof. He was terrified and disgusted with himself for some reason, and Starfire saw now that was the cause of his remoteness. She wanted to help him, but he wouldn't accept it at the moment, so she canted her head in agreement to help him with what he thought he needed to do now. She would have to help him later.

" All right Robin," she said in a soft tone, trying to let him know that she stilled loved him despite his cold attitude earlier. " I will aid you and fin Ahren for you as well, but I have one condition. You must tell me what is troubling afterwards, for I will not tell you my joyous news when you are so unhappy with yourself. It is too important for that to hinder it."

" Thank you Star," he said in the same dull voice he used earlier, not really looking forward to talking with her, but realizing that he was in no position to refuse her help.

" Now," she said as she draped his arm around her shoulders and used her alien strength to support him out of the hospital wing and up towards his room. " When we reach space, what is it that you plan to do?"

" Um, we?" Robin asked as she started to fly up the stairs silently and then down the hallway that led to his room. " You aren't going up there Star."

" Oh," she said with a smile as she opened his door with the access code and carried him into his room. " I believe I am. I have a few words I wish to say to the Viper lady once you have secured her safety. I believe I am entitled to it thank you."

Robin knew better than to arguer with her, even though he wasn't thrilled with her coming up with him. She helped him out of the gown, and picked out some plain blue jeans for him to wear, as well as a white shirt. She also grabbed a black jacket from his closet, saying that space was cold and she didn't want him to get sick.

As Starfire helped him put on his clothes, he said embarrassingly, " I feel really stupid right now. I can't even put on a pair of jeans without help…this is pathetic."

" You are being silly," Starfire said matter-of-factly as she buttoned his jeans and slipped the T-shirt over his head. " You have been seriously damaged, and your body just wishes to rest, not engage in any strenuous activity. I suppose that means that we will have to reacquaint with each other when you are better rested yes?"

She smiled at the red-tinge that crept into his cheeks as she slipped the jacket on over the shirt. She found some plain tennis shoes for him to wear, slipped them on as well, and then told him to wait as she went and fetched Ahren. He smiled a sad smile as he watched her fly out of his room, and then looked down, not wanting to think about what she said earlier about talking about what was wrong with him. He didn't want to talk about anything that was bothering him with her at all, he didn't want to cause her even more pain.

As he thought about that, he recalled the two voices who had spoken to him in his dream before he woke up. They had told him he couldn't prevent all pain, and that some pain was actually needed. He still didn't want to burden her with all of his sins and past wrongs, believing she would be as disgusted with him as he was with himself afterwards. He sat staring off into nothing for a time that he didn't bother to keep track of, his thoughts drifting over the memories of his past and of the voices in his head that he didn't notice Starfire reenter the room until she was helping him up and supporting him to the window.

" Star," he said in a startled voice as she open the window and prepared to jump out with him in tow. " What are you do--"

" We are heading to the hangar," Starfire said with a small grin on her face a she leapt out and flew herself and Robin to the base of the Tower where the T-ship was waiting for them. " Ahren and Lily are preparing the T-ship and we needed to head down without being noticed yes?"

" Uh, yeah," Robin answered slowly as she slowed their descent, landed, and helped him into the hangar. She hurried him to where he saw Ahren strapped into the cock-pit of the T-ship, and Lily helping at the computers to launch.

" Nice to see you up," Ahren said over the inter-com to Robin as Starfire helped him into a seat, and strapped him in. " We were beginning to worry. All right, I give us about ten minutes before Batman and Superman realize we've gone and follow us, so we have to hurry."

" Superman is here too?" Robin asked as Starfire strapped herself into her own cock-pit seat.

" Yep," Ahren answered as he made the T-ship online and operational as well as activated the air supply.

" Dammit," Robin cursed as he thought of how fast Superman could fly. " They'll catch us Ahren!"

" Nope," Ahren said as he started the ship up. " Lily is going to delay them for us, but that's why I only gave us ten minutes. I think the other Titans will as well, so we have some time. Are you ready guys?"

" Ready," Starfire said in her usual chipper voice.

" Ready," Robin said with determination edged to his voice.

" The here we go!" Ahren yelled as the three Titans jetted up into space and beyond the sight of the Tower.

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" Uh-whazzit?" Beastboy moaned groggily as Raven nudged him hard in the ribs to wake him.

" Wake up Gar," Raven said as she pushed herself off their bed and walked towards the door. " I think I just heard the T-ship take off."

" What?" Beastboy replied, now fully awake and sitting up as he watched his girlfriend pace towards the window and throw open the curtains. " Wait, did you just say the T-ship took off? Oh my-is that a stream of smoke outside?"

" Yes on both counts," Raven said as she looked at the stream of exhaust heading up towards space. She sent out her soul self to sense any missing presences, not noticing Beastboy scramble off the bed and take a place beside her. Her amethyst eyes snapped open in surprise as she discovered who was no longer in the Tower and she only vaguely heard Beastboy's comment.

" Oh man, Cy is going to be so pissed when he finds out someone took the T-ship for a joyride! I mean, sometimes I think he loves the ship and that damn car than his own girlfriend! He's sorta obsessed if you ask m--"

" Gar," Raven interrupted in an uncharacteristic breathless voice. " We need to wake up Cyborg and Jinx and head down towards the hangar right now."

She grabbed his hand and began dragging him towards Cyborg and Jinx's room, ignoring his questions and protests all the way. It proved a difficult task to wake up the large cybernetic teen, but with help from Jinx ( and the use of mentioning the missing T-ship), Raven managed to have all four of the remaining Titans hurrying down to the hangar in only seven minutes. Cyborg joined Beastboy in asking questions and demanding why his T-ship was gone, while Jinx choose to study Raven's astounded and worried looking face as they rushed past Starfire's room.

" Uh, why aren't we grabbing Star?" Beastboy asked in a confused voice when they entered the common room and then proceeded to the elevator without so much as a glance towards the infirmary.

" Because she isn't here," Raven said as the elevator hurtled them downwards. " She's up in the T-ship right now with Ahren and…and Robin."

" WHAT!" Cyborg, Jinx, and Beastboy all exclaimed at once, eyes bulging out of their skulls in surprise.

" When did this happen!" Cyborg yelled out loud as the elevator screeched to a halt and unloaded its passenger's in the garage. " He was out cold just a couple hours ago! I don't understand how he's now suddenly better and flying a ship up into spa--"

" That's because he's not flying," a familiar brunette said as she stepped out from behind the T-car, startling everyone but Raven. " Ahren is, and Starfire's handling all the other systems."

"WHAT!" Cyborg screamed at the young woman calmly walking back over towards the control panel for the missing T-ship. " AHREN DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO FLY THE SHIP!"

" Yes he does," Lily said as she shot a smirk over towards the enraged Cyborg. " He took the liberty of reading your mind to quickly give him the basic gist of it as we hurried down here earlier. He decided the need was great enough to read your mind without permission Cy…sorry."

" The gist of it?" Cyborg asked in a low, furious voice. " The gist of it? That moron is going to crash my baby!"

" Why did they leave without notifying any of us?" Raven asked, distracting Lily from Cyborg's tirade of how bad he was going to pummel Ahren when he returned. " I think I speak for everyone when I say I would have liked to know Robin had woke up."

" I know," Lily said loudly, signaling Cyborg to quit is proclamation for a minute to listen to her. " But, Robin didn't want anyone to wake up when he found out Batman was here…and then even more so when he learned that Superman was also here. If we woke up you, we'd have to wake up everyone else."

" Why the secrecy?" Jinx asked as she laid a calming hand on her boyfriend. " Just why?"  
" Yes," a deep, masculine voice said as to tall figures entered the hangar, firm looks on their faces. " Both Superman and I were wondering that as well."

" So you wouldn't stop him," Lily retorted to Batman, emphasizing the word you when she spoke. " He knew you would, you can't understand what both he and Ahren feel they have to do, and your anger is blinding you. He said he wasn't going to let you and the Justice League destroy something he went through hell for."

" He went up to the JL headquarters didn't he," Batman said, not really questioning Lily. " They went up there to give that _animal_ a statement! I can't believe that he would…"

" Don't worry Batman," Superman said when the other hero trailed off. " I'll send an alert up to Wonder Woman so they can be on the look-out for him."

" They won't find him if he doesn't want them too," Batman said in a kind of affectionate tone. " He'll have already thought about how to conceal himself. He won't wear that mask… no one knows him without it really. No, we just need to head up there and try to head him off before he reaches that cell in his foolishness."

" Did you ever think that there may be more to this than you understand?" Lily hissed in a furious voice as she narrowed her lavender eyes at Batman. " That maybe, just maybe, Robin might understand something about this that you don't!"

He didn't respond, merely grunted and walked over to his jet with Superman in a swift motion.

" Hold on a sec," Cyborg yelled as he rushed over to the spacecraft. " You're taking us up there too! I don't care if we aren't part of your organization, but Robin, Starfire, and Ahren are. Plus, Viper was our problem before y'all stepped into it, we deserve to see how this whole mess is going to end!"

Batman looked stoically at the four determined faces that agreed with their temporary leader, and then back at an approving Superman. He heaved an annoyed sigh and muttered, " Fine. Get in the jet if you want, but don't plan on any of us baby-sitting you up there."

" You know," Beastboy said dejectedly as he clambered into the jet after Raven. " We're not little kids. I mean, Cyborg's twenty and I'm the youngest at seventeen…we've been doing this for awhile, so don't treat us as if we haven't."

Superman shot his fuming partner a smile as the jet took off into space. " You know, he's right Batman. They seem to know what to do in a situation, there's no need to punish them because they decided to not join the League."

Batman chose not to respond, focusing his intense gaze frontward as the small party hurtled into space. It marked the silence that would encompass the whole trip as the group all mulled over the jumbled thoughts swirling around in their minds. They thought of different things of course, but all seven thoughts seemed to centralize around one theme: discovering why the other three Titans seemed so intent on helping a woman that seemed beyond help.

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" Dang," Ahren said in an awed voice as the T-ship approached the massive space station belonging to the Justice League. " Cy really went all out on this thing didn't he? We made it up here in ten minutes flat! That's awesome!"

" Yeah, uh Ahren, mind focusing on what we need to do," Robin said in annoyance at the other's lack of seriousness.

" Sure Rob," Ahren said with a smile on his face as he docked the ship in the stations hangar, sending in the correct docking information and coordinates as he slowed the ship to an unsteady halt. Both Robin and Starfire exclaimed in surprise as the ship jerked to a stop, causing their heads to whiplash a bit. " Well, I knew I wasn't going to be great at it. I just read the basic gist of how to fly this thing out of Cyborg's mind… no way everything was going to be smooth."

" Do you mean to say that this is your first time flying a space craft of any sort?" Starfire asked in an amused voice as she flew out of her own seat and helped Robin out of his. She found Ahren's flippant attitude humorous because it was causing a vein in Robin's head to throb.

" Yep," the brown-haired young man said as he gave clearance to the League member at the entrance, and then led the other two into the base. " I'm just happy I didn't crash the damn thing."

" I'm assuming that's how you gained the access codes as well Ahren?" Robin asked as they proceeded to down an empty hallway. " You read someone's mind and influenced that guards mind?"

" Kind of," Ahren replied as he shot Robin and Starfire a smile. " I did read Batman's mind to get the access code, but there was no need to influence that guard's mind, due to the fact that both myself and Lily have ID's for this place. You see, Superman brought us up here soon after our first encounter, offered us a spot in the League. He said he heard good things from Batman about us, and after that first incident, we seemed to exemplify the attributes the League values. Plus, they heard we turned you guys down. We declined obviously, but the badges still work."

" Then may I inquire as to what you explained Robin and I were doing here?" Starfire asked as the psychic led them down a hallway that was shockingly colder than the previous hall.

" Said you were here to join the league," Ahren said as both Starfire and Robin gave him incredulous looks. " They don't keep tabs on the Titans, so they won't recognize you Star, and Robin…no one will recognize you until you speak, the way you're dressed and all."

They continued in silence for the next passing moments, the cold growing stronger as they progressed further down the dark passageway, until Ahren stopped at a turn, and motioned the other two to look around it ahead. Both Robin and Starfire saw two Justice League members, both dressed up in silver suits and goggles, standing guard lazily over a large, gray door that had a small, barred opening near the top. Ahren motioned them to stay still, and he waved a hand towards the pair, causing them to collide with each other a number of times until they slumped to the floor. Starfire and Robin both directed a glance towards the psychic as he motioned them forward and started to move towards the door.

" Yep," Ahren said in a conversational voice. " They'll take my ID badge away for that."

" Take away your ID?" Robin said in a darkly amused voice. " You'll be lucky if they don't arrest you Ahren. But, then again, we'll all be lucky if we don't get arrested for this."

" You mentioned nothing about imprisonment Robin," Starfire said in an annoyed tone as she shot her boyfriend a withering look.

" Well, no one said you had to come."

" You could not manage to pull up your own pants Robin. Please inform me how in _X'Hals_ name you would have managed this mission without my aid?"

" Please don't mention that I couldn't put my own jeans on in front of other people Star."

" Should I also not mention how you refused to kiss me when I finished helping you adorn your clothing? It would have been polite to have after all in thanks to give me one, even just a small one."

" Star, please!"

" You didn't kiss her Robin?" Ahren asked in an amused voice at the two's banter. " Idiot."

" Shut up Ahren."

" Panties still in a twist then?"

" What does that phrase mean exactly?" Starfire asked innocently as Robin shot Ahren a malevolent stare. " I do not believe Robin's 'panties' were entangled when I was dressing him, for I was looking quite intently."

" Will you both get a grip!" Robin exclaimed angrily, a red flush creeping into his cheeks. " We don't have too much time, I give it ten minutes top before--"

BRAEH BRAEH BRAEH!

"—the alarm goes off."

" I give it five minutes now," Ahren stated grimly as he hurried to the cell and pried it open with a quick and forceful hand movement. He disappeared into the blackness for a moment before he came back out, with a small, brown-haired form out cold in his arms. Starfire narrowed her eyes angrily at the unconscious girl and looked over to see Robin's deep blue eyes wide in fear. The fear disappeared instantly however, replaced with a burning determination as he motioned to Starfire to follow after Ahren back down the hall.

" Why do you wish to help her if she troubles you so?" Starfire asked in a gentle, but confused voice, her own eyes releasing some of the anger they held.

" To try and atone for my own sins Star," Robin said in a quiet voice. " To prove to myself that people can commit wrongs and still help create a better place. And finally, to try and restore my faith in humanity a bit."

Starfire said nothing, so surprised by the honest answer she did not expect to get, but merely wrapped her comforting hand around his cold one and squeezed gently. It did not trouble her that he did not squeeze back, understanding flooding through her as she realized what was really bothering him.

The world and his own purpose in it.

The alarm continued to sound all the way out of the containment area, and back towards their ship. Ahren turned a corner, and Starfire lost sight of him for a moment, but she heard a surprised yelp come from the psychic youth. When she in turn whipped around the corner, she stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide open in surprise at what she saw.

" Surprised are you?" Wonder Woman said in a stern and agitated voice as she, Green Lantern, and The Flash blocked the rest of the trio's way. " Well, I was as well when I received a transmission from Superman explaining what was going on up here under our noses. Care to explain yourselves Titans?"

" Yes," Green Lantern intoned in a low, angry voice. " We're all dying to know why you three 'heroes' would sneak into the League headquarters and attempt to free an enemy that has threatened all of your lives at some point!"

Neither Robin nor Starfire said anything in response to either scolding, but Ahren said loudly, " Because we knew none of you would give her a chance otherwise! I know Batman sent an earlier transmission saying he withdrew is motion to give Vanessa a chance to get off the death penalty, so this was all either myself or Robin could think of doing!"

All three of the League members started at his words, not even realizing that the dark-haired boy being carried by the Tamaranean was in fact Batman's old partner Robin. The flash broke the stunned silence with asking, " Why did you do it Rob? After all, she did try and kill you."

" Because this is more important than any of you in the League acknowledge," Robin growled as he straightened his posture in Starfire's embrace a bit. " I wasn't about to let everything I've worked for get flushed down the drain in one moment."

" Viper is a psychotic killer," Green Lantern said as his face scrunched into a scowl. " You can't change that fact son. The League can't afford to imprison her again, she destroyed the last prison she was in."

" _Vanessa_," Robin retorted angrily. " Did do horrible things, but that doesn't mean she can't change! I really believe she can!"

" And," Ahren added on. " Vanessa didn't destroy that prison, Slade did."

The League members didn't respond in any way, except to motion the Titans to follow them down the hall. Wonder Woman was leading, while both Green Lantern and The Flash flanked the younger adults as the group hurried down towards what Ahren knew was the main chamber of the base, trying to ignore the whispers and mutterings that followed them as they passed. More than once Green Lantern tried to get Ahren to relinquish the still motionless girl to him, but he was refused every time, which only caused the older superhero to become even surlier. Wonder Woman stopped at a large door, entered in a code, and led the group in threw the now open doors where the three Titans came face to face with the rest of their team and other senior members of the League.

" AHREN!" Cyborg exclaimed angrily as he advanced towards the brunette. " IF THERE IS ONE SCRATCH ON THE T-SHIP, SO HELP ME, I WILL POUND THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS OUT OF YOU!"

" It's fine Cy," Ahren replied calmly as he was herded into the center of the large chamber. " I'll wax it for you when we get back if it makes you feel any better."

" Oh, you're not coming anywhere near the T-ship when we get back."

" If you go back," Batman said in a cold voice. " Do you realize what you three could have done? The League could arrest you for this cr---"

" If you're trying to threaten us Batman," Robin said in an equally cold voice. " Stop now because you're embarrassing yourself."

" For once in your life Robin, be quiet about things you don't understand."

" I could say the same to you."

The former duo glared at each other, deep azure meeting sky blue, fire burning in both pairs of eyes. The other Titans glanced back and forth between the two in uneasy silence, not noticing Ahren finally set down the unconscious girl in a chair he floated over from the opposite side of the room. Even the senior Justice League members didn't seem to know how to calm the situation.

" Ahem," Ahren coughed, breaking Robin and Batman from their staring contest and drawing attention towards himself. " If you don't mind, I was going to wake her up. She needs-" he raised his voice to overcome the din that arose from his previous statement- "SHE NEEDS to hear what me and Robin have to say. And, I'd appreciate it if you all would as well."

Not waiting for any kind of approval, Ahren placed is fingers at the girl's temples and closed his eyes. The others in the room could see a small white spark leave his fingertips and enter her head, causing her yellow, lifeless eyes to slowly open a moment later. Ahren opened his own eyes and backed away so she could see who surrounded her and where she was, smiling benignly ay her all the while.

The young woman's eyes slid into focus after a minute or two, and she was surprised to no longer find herself in her cold cell, but on the station's bridge and command center instead surrounded by high ranking members of the League and the entire Teen Titan team…including a black-haired, blue-eyed young man she knew all to well. She felt herself cringe in her seat when she met his steady gaze, and tried to jerk away from the haunted look she found there but was topped by a pair of strong hands that belonged to a familiar presence.

" How are you Vanessa?" Ahren asked kindly, drawing snorts from several bodies in the room.

" What the hell are you doing seer?" Vanessa croaked out, not used to using her snake-like voice. " Why did you take me out of my cell?"

" Because you aren't meant to live the rest of your life in a cell and wait for the executioner's axe to fall," Ahren answered simply. " And it's time we prove just why you aren't supposed too."

He rose up from his crouch he had adopted while speaking to her and whirled about to face the other bodies. " Would you like to start Rob, or should I?" he asked in a calm tone to the young man who was almost standing on his own.

Robin nodded that Ahren should start, so the psychic said, " All right then. I guess everything kind of stems from the vision I had nearly four years ago. I won't elaborate it, since every one here knows of it, so let's just skip that part. Well, I had another vision recently that told me I had to help ' the snake' so it could help prevent that vision of the horrific vision. Now, I had no idea why she would be needed at first, but as Starfire and I dug through those files on her, I discovered something very interesting that I didn't find important until I was fighting her in that fish factory five days ago.

" Three years ago, Starfire traveled through time, twenty years in the future to be exact, and she was met with a desolate wasteland of what once was Jump City. She was taken in by a future version of Robin, and he showed her some images of his world as he waited for her to recover, and everything was wasted like her city. Not only that, but the Teen Titans never fought a villain named Viper…but it was recorded that a villain by that name was in fact killed by Batman sixteen years prior.

" Now, why is this pertinent you may wonder? Let me tell you all why. The future Starfire tumbled into was one where she had disappeared for twenty years and one where a woman named Viper wasn't allowed to exist past this point in our timeline. The destruction that was caused, I believe, is directly linked to the golden being I saw in my vision, and the fact that Vanessa wasn't around to aid him in whatever fashion she was supposed to! So, you see, if we kill her now and you don't let her fulfill this purpose she has, we can risk bringing about the destruction and death I saw, despite the fact that Robin here is alive."

A general silence met the conclusion of his speech. Everything he said made sense, even the Justice League admitted it to themselves that it did, but it was so hard for any of them to believe that someone who had once been so evil was somehow going to save them all. It was almost too ironic to swallow.

" Then you were wrong seer," Vanessa said in a dull, quiet voice that drew everyone's attention to her. " I'm not capable of helping anyone…I have too much blood on my hands. How could I possibly save an entire planet?"

" My question exactly," Batman added on coldly, casting a glare towards the lifeless girl.

" Because," Robin said, drawing everyone's attention towards him now. " No one is too past redemption, not if they truly want to change…and I think you do Vanessa Bowman. You did terrible things, more so than most people do in their entire lives, but everybody does terrible things. It's what you do to right the wrongs you've committed that determine what you truly are."

" How can you say those things to a thing like me?" she whispered.

" Because you're not a thing. You are someone who was created by a cruel world that didn't give a shit what happened to you. People created the monster you became, you just let it grow more powerful. I can't hate you for that, because I was also created by a world that didn't care, and now I protect a world that doesn't care. I made different choices, but now you can too…and I say if you can help prevent people like us from being created, which can be your atonement while I continue with mine. If you can do that, you have my forgiveness for what you did to me Vanessa."

More shocked silence encompassed the room as Robin stared steadily at a frightened Vanessa Bowman, the lithe youth's words breaking most out of their stubborn prejudices against her. Ahren's information as well as Robin's declaration had convinced most that perhaps Vanessa could try and redeem herself if she truly wanted to banish the monster she had created away. Batman and Cyborg were still glaring at her, deciding not to believe she would ever redeem herself but deciding to give her shot anyway.

" I…I don't know…I don't deserve…" Vanessa stammered before she was shushed by an unlikely person and yellow eyes locked onto emerald ones.

" On my home planet of Tamaran," Starfire said as she wrapped her hand around Robin's. " We have a strong belief in forgiveness, even if the crime is most awful. Second chances are awarded to those who we believe will truly make a difference in our world, and to those individuals who truly wish to redeem themselves. I also forgive you Vanessa Bowman…now determine for yourself what the right choice is for you is. Help yourself Vanessa."

Robin, as well as everyone else in the room, shot Starfire a startled look, but his face melted into one of gratitude and he returned a squeeze she had given him earlier. Superman cast Wonder Woman and Batman a questioning glance, and after receiving curt, and somewhat reluctant nods, he turned towards Ahren who was still standing beside Vanessa patiently.

" All right, looks like you two convinced us to grant your request. What do you suggest she does then?"

" Let her still reside in a prison," Ahren said confidently, having already discussed this with both Robin and Starfire on the way up to the space station. " But she can work at the meta-human orphanage the League recently established during the day. That way, she can help other lost children not make her choices."

" Another one of your visions Ahren?" Superman asked with a slight smile on his chiseled face.

" No, just a hunch."

After Superman and the others decided to execute Ahren's suggestion, the League members smiled at the Titans, and led Vanessa out of the room to start setting up her sentence. As they led her out of the room, she turned her head around to look at them one last time, a small, sad smile curved over her mouth and she mouthed a thank you to them as she disappeared from sight.

" So," Batman said as he walked over to Robin, no emotion betraying his true feelings. " It's over is it?"

" Well, for now it is. But, there will always be another villain to fight tomorrow."

" And I suppose you're still set on going back to Jump City?"

" It's where I'm needed."

Batman gave his former partner an appraising nod before he swept from the room with a swish of his black cape, understanding passing between the two at last. The Titans remained motionless for a few minutes longer, before Raven broke the silence. " Uh, can we go home now? Me in a nightgown out in public…it doesn't really work."

" Yeah," Beastboy intoned, wrapping an arm around the goth's waist. " And it's almost time for breakfast! Tofu pancakes all around!"

" Tofu is gross BB," Jinx said with a laugh.

" Don't worry," Cyborg said with a grin as he pulled the pink-haired sorceress towards him. " I'll make you tofu-free waffles. Everyone loves waffles!"

" Waffles sound great Cy," Lily said as Ahren draped an arm over her shoulders.

" Yeah, I'm starving," the psychic added on.

" You don't get any you T-ship stealer!"

" Aww, c'mon man!"

" Well," Starfire whispered in Robin's ear. " Should we depart to our home now? I am staring to feel the sickness for it."

" Sure Star," he said, wrapping his hand around hers to try and convince her he was all right. " Titans! Let's head home."

And with a cheer, they did just that.

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The following week passed by sluggishly slow for the Titans, with no major villains attacking and Slade finally sentenced to life without parole, the teenage team verging on adulthood passed the time with video game playing, dates, and usual teenage past-times. It was relaxing to say the least, after what Beastboy was starting to say was the worst month in the history of the team…albeit the end of the world with Trigon was right up there. Ahren and Lily surprised everyone by saying the were going to stay in the city for a while longer, although Ahren was keeping it quiet just why they were. All in all, it was a pleasant seven days for just about everyone in the Tower.

Everyone except Robin and Starfire. Robin spent his time regaining his strength, but most of the time he seemed depressed and walked as if he wasn't sure why he was walking. As for Starfire, no one but Ahren and herself understood why she was starting to get anxious and impatient with Robin despondency. Raven and Cyborg told her that her boyfriend needed time to cope with what he went through, while Lily and Beastboy informed her he was just being Robin, and Jinx told her to talk to him, not the team, if his behavior bothered her so much. It was vexing the poor alien to say the least, and the morning sickness she was starting to gain was improving her mood either. By the Saturday following their League escapades, Ahren was starting to become a wee bit concerned about the red-headed Tamaranean.

However, all that was going to change on Sunday morning when someone came to visit the Tower.

Beastboy and Cyborg so were absorbed in a new fighting game Jinx bought for the cybernetic man's birthday (which happened to be in four days), that when the buzzer on the wall starting to hum, neither even noticed it. It took another buzz before Raven gave an annoyed huff and rose to see what the Tower was buzzing about. She typed in the access code, and saw that there was a family outside the Tower, two adults and three small children, apparently wanting to come in.

" Hello," Raven said to the family when she pressed the intercom button for the front door of the Tower. " Is there anything I can help you with?"

" Uh…yes, there is," the dark haired man said tentatively into the speaker. " I heard that the Titan Robin had returned, and I was hoping my family and I could thank him personally."

" For what?" Raven asked in a confused voice. Usually if the team saved someone, they just sent a letter or e-mail.

" For sacrificing himself to save my two children," the man answered in a shaky voice and he motioned an eleven year old boy, clutching an eight year old girl's hand.

" Oh my…" Raven trailed off as she saw the tell-tale eyes the children had. They had flecks of gold all through-out their brown irises. " Um, yeah, just hold on a second and I'll be down to let you in." Raven turned off the camera and rushed over to the elevator, pausing only long enough to shout something at the three sitting around the large T.V.. " Jinx, go and get everyone down here into the common room right now! Especially Robin, I don't care what he's doing right now!"

" Oh…kay," Jinx said slowly as she saw the dark girl fling herself into the elevator and disappear down the shaft. The pink-haired witch rose up from her seat and walked up the stairs to the rooms to grab the other four Titans. Beastboy and Cyborg didn't even notice her absence, still commenting as if she was there watching, and it was only when she reappeared several minutes later with the other Titans in tow and turned off their game that they realized she had left.

" Baby, what gives!"

" I was beating Cyborg!"

"Where did ya go, and where's Rae?"

" I was beating Cyborg!"

" Is something going on, I mean the whole team's here except Rae?"

" I WAS BEATING CYBORG!"

" SHUT UP YOU TWO!" Jinx yelled out angrily to silence the enormous scene the two gamers were making. When they closed their mouths promptly, although Beastboy was still looking mutinous, Jinx continued. " Thank you. I don't know what's going on, only that Raven answered that buzzing noise the monitor was making, yelled at me to get the team down here, and then rushed downstairs in the elevator. I think she was answering the door or something."

As if to affirm Jinx's theory, Raven burst back into the common room, with a family of five trailing behind her. The Titans gave her quizzical look, but she waved her hand to stave them off, and gazed directly at Robin. " You have some visitors that wish to thank you Robin."

" What?" the masked young man asked in confusion as he pushed past the throng of Titans and walked in front of Raven. " Who?"

" My family and I," a man with dark hair and brown eyes said as Raven moved over so Robin could see clearly. " Excuse me, my name is Diego Prisai, and this is my wife Julie." Robin politely said hello to Diego and his very pregnant wife who had stunningly dark auburn hair and gold-flecked brown eyes. " Um, when we discovered you were back on the team, two of my children insisted on coming to speak with you, and frankly, I also wanted to speak with you as well. But, I'll let them go first."

Robin felt like he was hit with a dumbbell when he saw the two very familiar dark haired children with gold-flecked eyes walk forward and smile shyly up at him. " Hi Robin," Coran Prisai said in his quiet but steady voice. " I just wanted to say thanks for saving me and my little sister that day at the school. It was really really brave, what you did, and stuff."

" Here," little Mae Prisai said in a timid, high voice as she shuffled forward and handed Robin a small, badly wrapped package. " Me and Coran made you a necklace to say thank you for saving us from the bad lady."

Robin, still speechless, gave the little girl a sad smile as he unwrapped the gift and held up a noodle necklace that seemed to glow in different colors. " Thanks you two," he finally rasped out as he admired the gift they gave him, marveling at the noodles ability to change colors.

" We had our grandpa help us make it," Coran said proudly as he moved over to let his parents through. " And my youngest sister, Winnie over there, she picked out the noodles."

" It's great," Robin said as he glanced behind quickly and saw the touched faces of his teammates, even the ever stoic Raven. Starfire's eyes were shining with unshed tears, and Robin noticed she was gazing at the pregnant Julie Prisai's swollen belly.

" I wish we could do more to express how grateful our entire family is to you and your team," Diego elaborated, grasping Robin's free hand and shaking it before he let go. " Uh it's not a big deal," Robin said, not wanting to feel great about himself just yet. However, it seemed that Julie Prisai wasn't content with that.

" No Robin," the pregnant auburn locked woman said in a melodic voice as she stepped over to stand directly in front of Robin's eyesight. " It actually is quite a big deal. You sacrificed your very life and future to save two unknown children. Not many heroes would have taken such a risk, and for that, my family and I are forever thankful for your heroic act. And do not shake your head in protest, because it is true, and your teammates agree with me. It was a purely selfless act, and it saved my two oldest children. It was by no means ordinary, and neither are you."

She smiled kindly at the masked young man, her true beauty shining through the tears that now covered her cheeks. She embraced the stoic hero in a motherly hug and then released him so all three of her children could hug him as well. While Robin didn't trust himself to hug back the mother, the memories of her hug reminding him of his own mother, he did hug back the children, and in doing so felt a huge weight lifted off his soul.

Ahren nudged Lily, a knowing smile playing on his lips, and an understanding passed between the two has Robin now was shaking the father's hand, a genuine smile on his face now. It was never up to the team to help Robin see that his actions brought about happiness; it was up to the ones who he had helped. It would be up to someone, or in this case a family, who cared enough and understood to show Robin the good in humanity that he still fought for.

The family was getting ready to leave when Starfire suddenly asked, " Is it a boy or a girl?"

Julie smiled kindly at Starfire now and answered, " It is a little boy. In about three months. So, thank you for making sure little Ryon here would still have all of his older siblings."

Robin gave his head a small nod as he wrapped his hand around Starfire's, and he walked the family back out of the Tower, his team following him. As the family piled back into the boat that ferried them across the water, Robin couldn't help but ask the eleven year old boy one last question. " How did your grandpa get the noodles to change color? I'll have to try it sometime."

" Oh," Coran shouted back with a laugh as the boat started to move away from the shore. " Well, he's like you guys! He can make light do weird things and other stuff like that!"

" Tell him many thanks for us young one!" Starfire shouted back as the Titans waved the boat goodbye until it faded from sight.

The Titans all smiled at each other as they stood on the rocky terrace of their island home, feeling the last rays of the sun dissipate as the bright orb sunk out of the sky, lighting up the sky in vibrant reds and oranges. Feeling like there would be no other moment as perfect as the one she was standing in now, Starfire mustered up her courage and whispered in Robin's ear. " Can you now here what I wished to tell you the night you woke up?"

" Yes Star," Robin said as he took off his mask and let the fading rays splash over his face as the sun set.

" Wonderful…I am pregnant."

Robin didn't move at first, but the other members of the team did notice his relaxed posture turned suddenly stiff. He turned his very wide, open blue orbs to Starfire's smiling green ones and stuttered, " St-Starfire…did you j-just say th-that you're prpregnant?"

" Why yes I did Robin. You are going to be a father."

Robin's face kept the same horrified expression on his face for a few seconds, enough time for Starfire to fill with dread that he did not want to be a father, but then his split into an ecstatic grin and he swept Starfire into his arms and spun her around, his deep blue eyes dancing as well. The two laughed, not caring that they were receiving strange looks from the other Titans, and Robin motioned the others to come near so Starfire could tell them why they were so happy.

As the others gasped, cried, and whooped in joy, Ahren smiled softly from afar, just relieved everything had finally calmed down for a few moments. He turned his attention away from the mini celebration and out towards the sea. The little boy, Coran, had said his grandfather had powers like they did. He said that the grandfather helped create the dancing lights in the noodle necklace, that he could 'bend' light. His vision immediately filled with the image of a golden-eyed child bending the light to his will and destroying the world. Maybe this child was related to these 'Prisais' in some way, maybe he was—

" Ahren," Lily said softly as she tapped his shoulder and brought him out of his thoughts and back into the world. " We're going inside, it's getting dark…are you coming?"

Ahren paused for a moment, his gaze still focused on the sea where the family with gold-flecked eyes had disappeared to. He spoke in a kind of faraway voice as he allowed Lily to lead him back into the Tower, knowing that things were just beginning to unfold. " Yeah, he's coming…I just hope it doesn't stay dark."

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**A/N: **Wow…now do you guys see why I had to break up the chapter…45 pages! That's a new record for me ! Good news, I didn't kill my brain this time around, so I'll be able to update soon. However, don't expect anything for at least a week and a half…I'm starting college this coming week, and I'm focusing on packing for moving into the dorm on Fri.

Okey-dokey, the major action stuff is done for this story…I'm going to take a break and the next couple chapters will be more humor driven. Then, it plunges straight into the angst and romance. Remember, I said writing this outline made me cry…although I did contemplate changing my fic, but I liked the ending the way it was. Sorry ahead of time!

Remember guys, I LOVE reviews…they actually spurn me to work faster to get a chapter out. Not a bribe or anything wink wink, just letting you all know ! Bye!

Osco


	8. Unexpected Visitors and Surprises

**A/N: **Hello again guys! Well, I'm officially a college student now…in my dorm and going to Frat parties and the like. But, I will never ever abandon this fic, so never fear readers! While I'm on the topic, thanx to everyone who reviewed! I loved the criticism I got this time around. Not going to comment on the criticisms, but I totally get what you guys are saying, and I'll be more mindful about those specific points from now on. Luckily, Justice League is history for the time being.

Next, I'm so sorry for the awful wait…I've been focusing on my new Escaflowne story, which I'm loving by the way, that I kind of shunted this fic to the side. I hope none of you guys are pissed at me, and if you are, sorry again.

I hope you guys like this chapter…it should be lighter than the last couple ones !

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**Chapter 8: Unexpected Visitors and Surprises:**

The mood in the Tower had changed significantly in the last few months as compared to what it had been. No longer was mistrust and deceit spreading throughout the tower like a disease through the human body, it had been replaced with an unmistakable excited fervor instead. As if to join in with the happy atmosphere, the weather had dropped the angry storm clouds and adopted a sunny demeanor with a slight breeze as well. Even the citizens of Jump City had noticed the changes in their world, although none of them had an inkling as to why.

However, none of these changes could even touch the changes wrought upon the famous crime-fighting teens living in the huge T-Tower. All the Titans, Raven included, seemed to embrace the fact that a little Titan would be entering their midst with unrestrained enthusiasm. Cyborg had taken to calling himself the unborn child's uncle and arguing with Beastboy over which one would be the favorite uncle. Jinx had started to help Starfire shop for clothes to hide the much more noticeable bump in her otherwise flat stomach, and Raven had decided to start child-proofing the Tower, even though it was still another six months before Starfire's due date. In addition, Lily had taken up the responsibility to help furnish the baby's new room (which would actually be an extended part of Robin and Starfire's room) while Ahren was helping Robin build the extra part onto his room.

All of the Titans had noticed the amazing change in their leader; it was as if he was a new person, no longer closed off or secretive. He had even opted to leave his mask off unless he was out fighting crime, something that the rest of the team, albeit Starfire, were still adjusting too. After all, for over three years no one had known what color his ever were, and now his striking blue orbs were smiling at them whenever he saw anyone. Cyborg had in fact asked what had inspired the decision had Robin had said with a slight punch-drunk grin on his face, "Well, I can't be a father who hide his face all the time can I?"

Yes, it was a definite happy period for the now young adult crime-fighting team at the moment; however, a now serious argument was occurring in the Tower between the expectant parents.

"Star, I know you think it will be all right if you still go out and fight with us, but honestly, you're pregnant! I think some of the criminals are going to notice the bump from your costume."

"Robin, just because I am going to be a little bit larger does not mean that I will become incompetent!"

"I swear sometimes Star…you are going to drive me crazy if you keep arguing with me about this! You are four months along, you have morning sickness, and you are getting way to big to go out and fight for Christ's sake!"

Starfire smirked slightly at her love's frustrated face, appreciating how his blue eyes and nose scrunched together when he was getting a headache. She let out a golden peal of laughter, and walked over to wrap his tense, lithe frame in a loving embrace, a tingling feeling creeping up her spine as she felt him relax and return the hug. She tipped her face up to look into his and said playfully, "I am not meaning to make you frustrated with me Robin, I understand your concern, but I still feel as if I can help. You are worrying too much about little me."

"I probably am Star," Robin said with a chuckle, as he lovingly brushed a hand down her cheek and cupping her jaw. "But that's just me. I can't help it."

He leaned down and captured the red-headed alien's lips with his own, warmth spreading through his body as he felt her hands run through his jet-black hair. She pressed her form into his to deepen their kiss, and his free hand traveled down to rest on the already developed bump on her belly. He broke away, and looked down to where his hand lay, brilliant smile lighting up his eyes as she placed one of her own hands over his.

"I still can't believe this is happening to us Star," Robin said in a quiet voice that reminded Starfire of an excited child on the holiday celebrated with trees covered in lights. "I'm going to be a father…a father!"

"Yes," she said, smiling at her boyfriend's enthusiasm. It seemed so long ago that she was worried of telling him that she was with a child, afraid that he would think her sullied or wouldn't want to have a child. Those fears were silly, she realized, born out of her own insecurities and fears. Ahren had been right after all, Robin was positively overjoyed at the prospect of being a parent. "You most certainly are. And I am going to become a mother yes?"

"Yes Star," Robin said with a laugh, placing a quick but gentle kiss on her lips. "Yes you are."

The two were interrupted from further displays of affection when both Cyborg and Beastboy came bursting in, arguing at ridiculously high levels on what the child's name should be if it was a boy. Raven and Jinx came in shortly after, shaking their heads in mirth at their boyfriends' antics, and Lily came sprinting in to spirit Starfire away to talk about more baby-shower issues. Robin stared at his friends for minute, losing himself in the unfamiliar sense of calm that had been overtaking him of late. It wasn't until someone spoke by his side did he realize that the others had left the room as quickly as they had come, their interests still solely lying with Starfire.

"You look deep in thought," Ahren said in a mildly amused tone, his brown eyes twinkling that he had snapped Robin out of his reverie. "Thinking about anything good?"

"Actually," Robin said with a smile as he started to pick up the mess of spilt papers and such that the whirlwind that is his team had left behind in their wake. "Yes. But not in the manner that you probably think I am. Just everything about Star being pregnant and us becoming parents…it's all I can think about lately. It's calming surprisingly though, I thought it was supposed to be stressful."

" Well," Ahren said with a chuckle as he bent down to help Robin pick up papers. "You and red aren't exactly the most normal of folk. Hell, none of us are, I guess it makes sense that these sort of issues are calming for us. They make us feel normal."

Robin didn't say anything, merely nodded his head in agreement as both he and the psychic cleaned up the study of the Tower. When they finished, Robin straightened his slender frame, wincing only slightly as his right side gave a painful twinge.

"Still hurt?" Ahren asked, knowing the answer he would get.

"Not really," Robin lied, a smile quickly masking the grimace as the pain passed. "Just sore from time to time. It's not serious."

"I'm sure," Ahren said sarcastically, fixing Robin with a knowing look. "I know it does, that stick thing Vanessa used was not the coolest thing to use. Lily called it an Agien I think…seemed pretty worried about it too. I guess it's a tool of dark magic or whatever, I'd just be happy to still be walking after that thing. But, you always were stubborn."

Robin chose to say nothing again, Ahren's mentioning of Vanessa bringing back some not-so-happy memories of his time as her captive. But he didn't let it bother him; Ahren seemed to have a problem of spouting exactly what was on his mind, even if it wasn't very tactful. He didn't mean any harm by what he said.

"So," Ahren said, abruptly changing the topic of the conversation. "You and Star come up with any names for the baby yet?"

"Not really," Robin said with a grin as the two young men walked back towards the common room of the Tower. "We've discussed candidates, but all we know is that its middle name will be Tameranean, she wants him or her to be reminded of both heritages. I kind of want to name it after my dad if it's a boy though."

Ahren smiled at Robin's anticipation, happy that his old friend had regained certain pieces of his life again. Ahren had expressly told both Lily and Raven, the only two who fully understood the meanings of his visions, to not reveal to Starfire and Robin that their child was going to be a girl. He didn't want to worry the happy couple right after they had been reunited, it wouldn't hurt to keep the fact that their daughter was going to help save humanity some day.

Or would it?

Ahren had realized, along with Lily, that withholding information had led to the Titans mistrusting them, something that had nearly proved their undoing four months ago. It was a grievous mistake on his part, Ahren knew, and he promised Raven he wouldn't do it again, but yet here he was, repeating history. He told himself he was doing it to protect them, to protect Starfire and her child, but he felt like that wasn't entirely true when he looked at his views objectively. Maybe he was still trying to coddle the Titans because he thought of them as children, even though he was completely aware that they were not. Another curse of his power, too much knowledge at a young age that makes one much older than he or she may appear. Maybe he just didn't trust them with the horrible knowledge he carried within his mind, thinking that it would be too much for them to handle.

'Great,' he thought to himself in self-mockery. 'Now not only are you an asshole, but now you're a hypocrite. That's just great Ahren, no wonder you have so many friends.'

He shut away those disturbing thoughts when he and Robin walked into the common room, the festive air to happy for him to continue his unhappy notions. He smiled as Starfire dragged Robin away to look at a bassinet Jinx had circled in a catalogue form Baby's R' Us. Maybe things would end up being okay, he thought as he watched the makeshift family unit planning to welcome their newest member, just maybe he needed to have a little more faith in others.

As Ahren worked his way threw his tumultuous feelings, Raven was watching Starfire with unabated curiosity, trying to figure out why the alien princess was already so swelled up after only four months. True, she had never had a child, but Raven had taken it up as her responsibility to read all those baby books and information packets so at least one person in the Tower had an idea what was going on. Now, even though Starfire's anatomy was different from humans, the reproductive organs were more or less the same, so it made no sense that she looked like she was six or seven months along rather than just four, especially on her slender frame.

It was puzzling to the gothic beauty to say the least. She had suggested that Starfire go and have sonogram, but both Robin and Starfire wanted to keep the fact that she was pregnant a secret from the public to avoid attracting both the press and unwanted villains. Plus, Starfire wanted to be surprised concerning the gender of the child. So, Raven was left to muddle her way threw why Starfire's belly was so swollen, not thinking she was in any danger, just simply concerned about her friend. She was shocked out of contemplative manner when she felt a magazine hit her on the side of the head. Shooting a scowl at her obnoxious boyfriend, Raven levitated off the floor, and began to chase her frightened counterpart around the room, drawing laughs from nearly everyone, especially Cyborg.

Yes, another beautiful day in the Tower was coming to a close.

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"Robin," Starfire said quietly as he began to climb into bed beside her. "I have something I wish to discuss with you."

"Yep," Robin said distractedly, extremely tired from all the baby planning accomplished that day.

"I-uh, I received a transmission this afternoon from my _g'norfka_ Galfore," Starfire said hesitantly. "Do you remember him?"

"Uh, big guy with red hair who yelled at me for touching you when we went to your home planet that one time? Yeah, I remember."

"Oh wonderful! Well, he contacted me to inform me that he and others from Tameran will be gracing the Tower with their presence in one Earth week from tonight. Galfore wishes to have me inspected by Tameranean physicians to make sure everything is progressing smoothly in my _jar'neal_."

"Uh uh," Robin said as his mind drifted off to sleep. It was only after his mind registered exactly what Starfire said that his deep blue eyes snapped open in shock. "WHAT!"

"Galfore and others form Tameranean will be coming here to ma--"

"No, I heard you Star," Robin said hurriedly as he shot straight up and turned on the lamp to illuminate the room, and his lover's confused face. " It's just that…well I mean Galfore didn't really like me before and now when he sees you like this…oh shit…he's going to kill me."

"Robin?" Starfire asked with a small smile playing on her lips as she watched Robin rise out of bed and start pacing around the room in uncharacteristic panic. "Why would Galfore wish to murder you? You have done nothing wrong."

"I haven't done anything wrong?" Robin asked cynically. "Oh sure, getting you pregnant isn't anything wrong to the guy who raised you. He's practically your father Star! Boyfriends aren't supposed to get the girlfriend pregnant before they get married, yeah he'll be my best friend I'm sure."

"Robin," Starfire said in a placating tone, trying to calm him down. "Do not be troubled; Galfore is already well aware of the situation, he was not angry when I first told him of the child. You are worrying for no reason."

"You-you told him that you're pregnant?" Robin asked in a horrified voice, slowly turning around to face the red-head. "Oh no…he really is going to kill me. He's had all this time to think about this…"

"Robin!" Starfire yelled, startling the blue eyed youth out of his incoherent stuttering. "Stop worrying about this! Galfore is not going to either kill you or want to kill you! He is perfectly joyous about our child! No calm down and sit back down on the bed."

Robin obediently did as he was told, already having experience with one of Starfire's pregnant tantrums to know better than to argue. She smiled warmly at him when he sat beside her and took his hand in hers. "Now, do you love me Robin?"

"Of course I do Star."

"And do love this child growing within me?"

"Yes, why wouldn't I?"

"And do promise to always aid me and the child when we need it?"

"Star, you know I will--"

"Then you have absolutely nothing to worry about Robin," Starfire said with a sparkling smile. "Galfore has always been aware of my feelings for you, and he has recently been aware of yours for me, he knows you will protect both the child and myself no matter what and will love us unconditionally. It will not matter whether or not we are married; I actually think he prefers that we are not."

"Why?" Robin asked, a dazed look on his handsome features.

"Because, on Tameran marriages in the royal house are usually done for purposes other than love: treaties, trade, and alliances usually. You are aware of this; do you not recall the time I was nearly married off by my sister to that green blob? It was unheard of what I did, refusing to marry him, we almost never marry for love. Occasionally, love will blossom as it did with my parents, but that is an extremely rare occurrence. Galfore is happy that I have found love."

"I didn't know marriages were that bad a thing on your planet," Robin said quietly, remembering how sad she had looked when she first informed the Titans she was to be wed. "I guess you can't marry for those reasons uh? I mean you are still a princess of Tameran."

"No, I suppose I cannot marry because of those reasons," Starfire said in a calm voice, something which surprised Robin. She then smiled at him and said, "However, marriage is not something that is overly important to me. There is a ritual among my people that I had always dreamt of doing, it is called the _Anatheil_. It is something where two beings swear to devote themselves eternally to another, a troth-mate. That is what I am to you Robin, and vice-versa, while we have never said the exact words, we have said things to each other that make this true, and that is why Galfore will not be upset with you Robin, you are my _cheir_ Robin, you have been since I first met you three years ago, it just took us both time to realize that."

Robin simply stared at Starfire, lost for words at the revelation she had given to him. In that moment, in that crucial moment when someone is forced to confront the true depth of their feelings, Robin smiled at the beautiful princess, affirming what she had just said. He leaned over and placed his lips over hers, letting her know he felt the same way and that he was no longer worried about what someone else would think of him. They loved each other, and they would love their child with the same amount of love no matter what.

The rest of what was communicated that night between the lovers has no need for words.

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The week passed by as any other normal week would pass by in Jump City; the only difference was that crime seemed to be unusually low. The Titans welcomed that sign of fortune with open arms, now being able to cleaning and rearranging the Tower for the Tameranean delegates whom would be arriving soon. The extra rooms were prepared, the bathrooms scrubbed, the hangar organized for any of their ships that might need space, and the dreaded refrigerator was cleaned out. Everyone was excited underneath their tired appearances, especially Raven because she was hoping to discover why Starfire was so large, a question the physicians Galfore was bringing should be able to answer.

When the fateful day finally arrived, Robin double checked with the League that Jump City had been informed an alien ship would be arriving that afternoon and Cyborg prepared the landing pad on the roof of the Tower for the ships to land. Starfire had told them that Galfore would most likely be traveling on a medium sized diplomatic ship, so the landing pad would suffice. Everyone was anxious as the clock ticked the minutes away, all either anxious to see old friends again or anxious to see other beings for the first time.

It was Beastboy who first saw the ship coming from the east, a sleek and narrow ship colored blue and white, and he made sure to tell the others of its approach. As the alien ship slowed down and prepared to land on the landing pad, Starfire inched even closer to Robin, slipping her hand in his and squeezing it for support, still aware of the jitters he possessed about this meeting. He turned his head slightly and gave her a gentle smile to let her know he was fine and then directed his azure orbs back towards the now landed ship.

The hatch opened on the bottom of the ship to form a ramp for the intergalactic delegates to walk down, and they did just that, large burly Tameraneans wearing armor the first to exit. They looked around at the Titans and at the strange planet they now were on with both uncertainty and curiosity, but stood at attention abruptly as the other passengers walked off the ship. Robin did not recognize any of them, their hair color ranging from red to brown and their dark purple robes billowing after them.

"They are the royal council of Tameran," Starfire whispered in his ear when she noticed his confused expression. "And these next are some physicians from my planet, similar to your doctors."

Robin looked at the ones called physicians with interest, their clothing the most unusual of the bunch so far. They all wore simple white robes that were belted across the middle with a purple belt, but every head was shaven. They reminded Robin of Buddhist monks, from their shaved heads to the robes and even in how they walked, a slow methodical march. The last one to exit the ship, other than the sailors of course was Galfore, and he looked exactly as Robin remembered him to. The wild red hair was still unkempt and gave him the look of a fierce warrior, and he was still the largest man he had ever seen.

Galfore fixed his hawk-like green eyes on each of the Titans, giving a brief nod to those he knew and a polite stare to those he did not. Lastly, he fixed his eyes on Robin and Starfire, and his fierce countenance melted instantly into one of fatherly love as he looked at Starfire. She squealed and let go of Robin's hand to fly up and embrace her caretaker around his rather large neck. He let out a booming laugh as he too wrapped her into an embrace, albeit gently for he knew what she carried.

"Hello my little _bm'gorpf_! How I have missed you! And now look at you, carrying a little one of your own! The child had better learn to call me _attar_!"

" Oh Galfore!" Starfire exclaimed happily as she pulled out of the hug and floated back down to the ceiling. "I have missed you as well! I was so happy when you informed me you were coming to Earth, come, you remember my friends!"

Galfore nodded, his eyes now fixing on Robin, who had remained politely silent during their reunion, despite the looks he was receiving from the other delegates. Robin stood still as Galfore took huge strides to stand directly in front of the slender young man. Starfire glided over as well, resuming her space next to Robin and slipping her steady hand back into his nervous one.

"Galfore, you remember Robin," Starfire said in a cheerful tone. "He is the leader of the Titans here, and he is also my _cheir._"

"So you found someone for you on Earth after all Kori'andr?" Galfore stated, shooting the red-headed girl a wily smile. She gave him a nod and before Robin could do anything, Galfore swept him into a bone-crushing hug, emitting a booming laugh as he did so. Starfire and the other Titans tried to hide their smiles at the astonished and choking look on Robin's face, but then Starfire's look turned concerned when she saw Robin give a slight grimace and emit a low grunt.

"Galfore," she said, placing her hand on his huge arm. "I do not think he can breathe properly, and he has a wound that is not completely healed yet."

"Oh!" Galfore exclaimed as he set down a wincing Robin, who was now holding his side and trying to steady his breath. "My apologies young human. I was not aware you were maimed or else I would not have lifted you."

"I'm not maimed!" Robin said forcefully, perhaps a bit more than he intended to be. "It's…it's just an old wound that twinges a bit now and then. I'm fine."

Galfore studied him for a moment, and then let another booming laugh and slapped Robin on the back. "You have chosen a strong one Kori'andr! A worthy sire for your child!"

" My thanks Galfore," Starfire replied, a slight smile playing on her full lips at the blush creeping onto Robin's cheeks. "Now, why do we not enter the Tower and we can speak of what as happened since I left Tameran last time."

Nodding in agreement, Galfore barked orders to the others in Tameraneans before turning around for Starfire to lead back into the Tower, which she did. Robin let her go, respecting her need to be with her people at the moment, and he walked back with Lily and Ahren, trying to ignore their smirks as they walked back down into the comfort of their home.

'This is going to be interesting,' Robin thought to himself as he closed the door to the roof.

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Sure enough, the next few days were very interesting in the Tower, the startling culture of the Tameraneans on full display at every moment. Starfire, the other had decided, had been relatively tame with her culture and customs when compared to delegates who had come to see her. The way they all ate, Raven and Beastboy were wondering why they had bothered to clean the kitchen at all, and the aliens kept reciting the hundred or so verses of a Tameranean poem of joy in the morning and at night. Not to mention how curious they all seemed about the strange contraptions on this planet, feeling the need to touch everything in their sight and fiercely ask the Titans what these items were used for.

Luckily, Starfire was always there to translate for her friends.

Galfore and his soldiers had taken to conversing with Robin whenever they had a chance, adopting a sort of fatherly mentality towards the youth, and the others could see that he didn't mind at all. Some of the other Tameraneans, a few of the older members of the Royal Council Starfire had pointed out, were open with their disapproval for the young man so Robin was accepting, well, acceptance wherever it came from. Starfire was extremely grateful towards Galfore for defending her decision to be with Robin, and she gave a soft sigh of remorse as she turned her attention away from her love and back towards the Council, whom were in deep discussion.

She knew it would have been naïve to think that everyone from her planet would just readily accept her choice to be with Robin, but she could not help but feel sad that her people were still so wary of inter-race relationships. It reminded her very much of the time that Val'Yor of Vernathia came to Earth and let his prejudices towards her people cloud his judgment and compassion. It was just the same, even her people succumbed to it, and Starfire was quite aware of how humans fell to it, Cyborg taking the time to explain it to her once upon a time. Starfire just could not see where the intelligence in this sort of state of mind was, it made absolutely no sense to her for different races to despise each other simply because of a biological difference.

Yet, that was exactly what her own "Council" was doing, arguing over whether or not her relationship with Robin was what is best of Tameran. To be frank, she was not worried about her raven-haired youth, knowing that he was perfectly capable of defending himself if needs be. No, she was worried about what these men and woman were talking about concerning her child. Whether she decided to accept the throne or not, her child was still the crown heir to Tameran and these delegates were discussing whether or not her unborn child would even be accepted on Tameran. Her emerald eyes started to glow in anger, the thought of her child being persecuted because it was of two races making her blood boil and starbolts to form around her hands.

"Child," an elderly and calm voice said from behind Starfire, causing her to emit a surprised "EEP" and retract the bolts. "It is folly to get angered of such things, I am sure your child will be loved by many to outweigh the hate of few."

Starfire turned her head to look at one of elderly monk physicians Galfore had brought along to make sure her _jar'neal_ was progressing normally. The old Tameranean woman gave Starfire a kind smile and gestured her to follow as she started to walk back down the hall and towards the Tower's medical bay. Starfire did so, placing a comforting hand over her bump and feeling the strong life pulsating within her, always able to draw strength and calmness from this action.

"So," the elderly Tameranean woman commented in her native tongue as the two walked closer to their destination. "You are progressing quite well for only four, or now five months along…I think it is now safe to probe the child and make sure it does not have any defects."

"Why would my child have a defect?" Starfire asked back in her native language, a slight tone of worry conveyed to the elder.

"We do not know what a union between Tameran and Earth will result in," the physician replied calmly as she pushed open the door to the medical bay and led Starfire inside to where the other physicians had already set up a table for her. "There may be nothing wrong, but it never hurts to make sure eh?"

"Has there never been a case like this from which you can draw conclusions?" Starfire asked as she floated onto the table and lay down, letting the doctors from her home planet reveal her swollen belly and spread some type of pink goo over it.

"None that we can remember," the elder female answered lightly. "But that is of no consequence, now relax child and we will tell you how your child is doing and the gender."

Starfire gave a little pout, she had wanted to be surprised, but she knew that was a near impossible desire now. She was worried about her child as the group of physicians huddled over her and used their tools to look into her alien womb, wanting more than anything for the child to be all right. She had never stopped to consider the implications of having a hybrid child, that maybe the two races DNA simply would not mix or might cause severe debilitations, but now she kept seeing horrifying images as the doctors continued to hum. Starfire did not know how long their search lasted, only anxious to know what they discovered when they allowed her up after cleaning her belly of the goo and flipping back down the large shirt she was wearing.

The physicians disappeared for a moment, conversing among themselves in a tight huddle that Starfire could not see into as she climbed down off the table and waited fretfully by the door, wringing her hands together over her unborn child. She was about to ask what they saw, impatience overwhelming her, but then the older woman turned around and gave her a happy smile, which wiped all of the alien princess's worries away in an instant.

"Everything is well child," the elder said in a pleased voice, her bright brown eyes twinkling as if they held a huge secret. "The heartbeats were strong and everything looked well, no deformations were visible on either fetus…you are going to be a proud mother I think Princess."

Starfire was so happy at the news her child, it took her a moment to realize exactly what the older female had said. As she was floating in the air, ready to soar among the clouds she was so happy, but then something clicked in her mind and she floated back down to the floor and gave the smiling physician a questioning glance.

"Did you say both fetuses were healthy physician?"

"Why yes I did child. Did you not wonder why you were so large at only five months? It seems that you are going to be the proud mother of both a baby girl…and baby boy."

Starfire's face held its incredulous look for a moment longer before she placed her hand back over her belly and felt her…felt her children both throbbing within her. She looked back up and gave the doctors a dazzling smile and said, "I am going to be having twins! I need to go and inform the others! Oh, Robin will be so happy!

"Yes child, he will be," the lead elder said as she stepped towards Starfire, a look of worry now crossing her otherwise joyous face. "However, you know how rare it is for our kind to have two children at once…you know the complications this may give rise to, with the father being human as well. The birth could end up being serious, so it would be in the best interests of the children and yourself if at least two of us stay behind to help deliver your children should things go… awry."

Starfire nodded her head in agreement, not wanting to endanger her children in any way and gave the physicians another glorious smile to let them know she was not worried about that particular obstacle. The, she flew back into the air and jetted off to tell the rest of her teammates that there would be two new additions to the Tower by the end of the year.

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The Titans were all gathered in the common room that evening, along with every Tameranean that had arrived with Galfore, and each being was wondering what exactly the occasion was about. Starfire had been quiet the whole afternoon, although she looked to be bursting to tell them all something, and those physicians kept shooting furtive smiles at the young expectant mother. However, no one received their answer until after Galfore had toasted both Starfire's and Robin's happy union and everyone, including the sullen delegates who were troubling Starfire, drank to them.

"Friends and countrymen," Starfire said as she stood up after everyone had finished their drinks, non-alcoholic of course. "I have a rather important announcement to make, one which I am sure will over-joy everyone in this room as much as it did to me. The physicians have informed me that there is nothing to worry about, and my _jar'neal_ is going smoothly. Both of the children are healthy and strong!"

It took a moment for everyone to register what she had said, just as it had taken her a moment, and soon she was receiving confused looks from everybody in the room except the smiling doctors.

"Um, Star," Robin said as he too rose, his hands shaking has his mind comprehended what she had said. "Did…did you just say the children are healthy and strong?"

"Why yes I did Robin," Starfire replied with a warm and loving smile as she grasped both of his hands with her own. "It seems that we are going to be the proud parents of both a baby girl and a baby boy."

Robin's face broke out into a pure and genuine smile and he swept his lover into his arms and twirled her about, giving a yell of happiness as she laughed joyously with him. Galfore started to cheer and holler in an unkingly-like manner, and the delegates gave polite claps as Jinx, Beastboy, Lily, and Cyborg all rushed from their seats to embrace the happy couple as well. Off to the corner, Ahren had steadied himself against the wall and gave Raven a confused look as she approached him.

"Ahren," the gothic girl asked worriedly. "What's wrong? This is good news you know."

"I know," Ahren said breathlessly, not bothering to fake smile for Raven's benefit…he had promised to be truthful with her. "It is good news but…but I only saw the daughter Raven! And now, they're having a son as well…I never saw him in any of my visions. It's like a curveball was just thrown my way and I blew the whole game because I couldn't catch it in time. I've seen the girl so many times, but I never saw her twin…not once…not even a glimpse. I'm worried because I don't know what this means now…I don't know…I just don't know."

Raven looked at him stoically, noting the terrified expression Ahren had on his face in worry. She had never seen Ahren terrified before, not even when he was fighting Viper, or when Robin almost died the first time, he was always calm. Like he knew everything was going to be all right in the end, but now he didn't and it horrified him. For the first time, Raven saw what a curse Ahren's gift was…he had surrounded his whole existence around stopping some golden-eyed child from destroying the world, and that somehow involved Robin and Starfire's daughter. But now they were having a son as well, a son Ahren never saw, and he was the girl's twin no less. Yes, Raven understood the uncertainty swirling around in the seer's head now; she could see it all too clearly.

"Ahren," she said softly, drawing attention back towards her. "It is all going to be all right. Just because you didn't see him, doesn't mean that everything in your vision is now useless! That future will not come to pass, Robin and Star having another child is not going to stop our determination. Be happy for them, don't let a few visions run your whole life, believe me, it's not all that great."

The startled psychic gave the purpled-eye girl a grateful smile, knowing the truth in her words were just that, truth. He pushed off the wall and joined the others in congratulating the happy parents–to-be, pushing the overwhelming fears he had just had to the back corners of his mind where he could control them. But, even as he hugged Starfire, he could see the little blue-eyed girl smiling at him, and for the first time, noticed the blank spot beside her that, try as he might, couldn't see into. For the first time that he could ever recall, he saw the spot for her brother beside her but still could not see him.

'He's the one who is hidden from the sight,' Ahren though amazedly as he pulled away from Starfire and let her hg the huge behemoth Galfore. 'The one from that prophecy once upon a time ago.'

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**A/N: **There you guys go, I'm sorry it took forever for me to get it out. Hopefully the following chapter won't be as bad!

I would like to dedicate this chapter to my grandpa, who has finally found peace in Heaven. Pop, you always believed in me, no matter if I did or not, and I hope you're finally in peace wherever you are. Thanks for always encouraging my writing; I'll keep it alive for you.

Please review and tell me what you think! Next one should be in a happier tone as well! Until next time!

Osco


	9. Bry'andr and Tyr'andr

**A/N: **Hello again readers! So sorry that this is taking forever for me to finish…I'm so busy with schoolwork right now, and then there is the whole thing with me not getting sleep either. I swear…if I could only get the time to write this, I would be onto the next story already. Thanx for the reviews last time, although I got considerably less but I figured that was due to my abysmal updating. I'll try to get better at this time management thing, so I hope you enjoy this chapter, yet another cute one!

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**Chapter Nine: Bry'andr and Tyr'andr**

Time seemed to be ticking by slower than usual, the smaller hand slugging around the face of the clock at a pace that made one question his or her sanity. A steady drip of the faucet from the kitchen sink could be heard against the cold steel of the basin, giving the tense room an even tenser atmosphere as five young adults sat around in a half circle on a similarly shaped couch, wringing their hands together and sneaking glances at their sixth member pacing frantically throughout the whole room. The only noises that could be heard were the worried sighs, heavy breathing, and the steady drip; of course these normally quiet things were magnified as if a loudspeaker was projecting them into a person's ear.

To say that the Titans were worried would be the understatement of the century, they were terrified. Not one of them had ever gone through something like this before, a birthing, much less one that was not even for someone from Earth. They each kept shooting glances at each other, hoping to see if that person had an answer to ease their fears, but they never found their answer. It also did not help that Robin was close to having a breakdown any second, his pacing increasing in intensity the longer time crept by. Not even Beastboy's ready jokes could find a voice, always dying in the changeling's throat before being vocalized; each of the Titan's nerves were starting to fray after six long hours of labor.

Lily was absent from the waiting room the Titan's had fashioned from their living room, and she had not been out to report on Starfire's progress in the past two hours. The two physicians that had stayed on Earth to assist with Starfire's pregnancy had forbid anyone other than Lily to assist them. The older of the two female Tamaraneans, Torga, had found out about Lily's extensive study in medicine, and coupled with her healing gift it had convinced the wily old doctor to accept the brunette's help. She had given the Titan's reports of how Starfire was doing every hour, but once Torga came back and ordered Lily to come and help them in a somewhat worried tone, the lilac-eyed young woman had not been back out to see them.

It was starting to get to Robin obviously.

Raven rose from her meditative stance on the couch, a measure she took to maintain the calm expression on her face rather than the worry-etched one she felt growing within her. She stole a glance over at her green significant other, noting the scared look in his eyes and laid a comforting hand over his clammy one, giving him a small smile when he looked up into her amethyst orbs.

"I'm sure it's fine Gar," she whispered in his ear, giving his hand a squeeze of reassurance she herself did not feel. "Star's strong, she'll be all right. I'll be right back though, make sure Robin doesn't hurt himself."

Beastboy gave a small smile at his girlfriend's attempt to make a joke; she most certainly had her moments from time to time. He nodded and pulled her down for a small kiss before letting go of her pale hand. He watched Raven sink through the floor in the shape of a black and glowing raven before turning his attention back towards the dripping faucet, recalling things that had led to this moment he found himself stuck in. It all seemed so long ago…

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_The entireplanet seemed to have learned about Starfire's pregnancy the second after Galfore left, and reporters had swarmed the steps of the Tower, desperate to gain an interview with any of the Titans about the situation. Cyborg had to actually fire a warning shot at them once to get them to clear off the island and surrounding waters in order to let some of the team through to address an issue in the city. Meanwhile, Robinhad forbidden Starfire to talk with the media, well he forbid all the Titans but Starfire gained the brunt of it. _

_Starfire had commented about how silly Robin was acting, and often scolded him about his rudeness towards the reporters, saying he was being overly cruel to them. It wasn't until an article was published that spoke of how the coming hybrid twins would be 'abominations' in the eyes of God and were a product of an illicit union. The naïve alien princess had been shocked at the maliciousness of the reporter who had published the article, and even though he was an extreme case, the sensitive red-head had become very distraught over the issue. Beastboy had been heading over to talk to Raven when he heard the distressed alien crying to his girlfriend._

"_But why would they say such things friend Raven! My children have done nothing to warrant such treatment, my own people accepted them, why cannot humans?"_

"_Star, we deal with this kind of press all the time. They are simply trying to tear us down because it's stuff like that which sells, people will buy an article about how someone was brutally murdered rather than one where someone helped an old woman from getting hit by a car. That's just how humans work, don't you dare take this attack seriously Starfire, because your children are going to be absolutely perfect just as they are."_

_Beastboy could see how Raven could comfort Starfire in this situation, for the gothic beauty was a halfling herself, and had experience dealing with bad press. Starfire had decided then to not read any more articles from the tabloids, and had forgiven the disgusting reporter for writing what he did; that was just her nature. However, Robin was a completely different case…he was furious and had stopped by the reporter's work to ensure that he did not write anymore stories on Starfire._

_This had resulted in the reporter's articles all being directed towards Robin's sanity and 'increasing levels of violence' instead, but the black-haired youth seemed appeased to be the object of the press's attention instead of Starfire. He told Beastboy he could handle whatever was thrown at him, but he was not going to tolerate anyone to write such horrible things about his children. _

_However all the bad happenings that befell the team, the next three months of Starfire's pregnancy progressed nicely, according to the Tamaranean physicians staying with the crime fighters, and Starfire had been overjoyed when gifts had started being sent to her from someone as unimportant as a housewife in Jump City to Wonder Woman. She became increasingly large, the two beings growing within her eager to come out according to Torga, but she had not lost any of her beauty, the glow about her seeming to brighten each day._

_However, now everything seemed to be so unsure. What would happen to the Teen Titans now that two of them had children? Where would they even live, still in the Tower where a villain could easily attack the young family? Would Starfire even be well enough to fight after this? After all, no one knew what a combination of human and Tamaranean would result in, and it could end up hurting Starfire. Nothing seemed as clear as it had three months ago, three days ago, three hours ago…_

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Try as he may, Robin could not calm down his pacing, or the millions of devastating thoughts flowing through his mind as he waited for some kind of answer to present itself to him. He knew full well he was acting neurotic, but he couldn't help himself. All the doubts he had suppressed over the past eight months came zooming into his consciousness and had made camp right then and there. He kept questioning himself, whether he could even be a father or not, whether he would live up to what kind of father his own was, and whether his twins would even like him. He knew it was a wasted worry, but he couldn't help but think it.

And then to exacerbate his already waning sanity further, he was now terrified that Starfire's labor was not going as planned, or that she was in a lot of pain. He wanted to stand by her and let her know everything would be all right, even if he wasn't sure that it would be. She had done so for him on countless occasions, but now he couldn't even do that, Torga and the younger physician Mabel forbidding him from the birthing room that was fashioned from the medical wing. He found this ten times more frustrating than all those times he remembered Slade escaping.

Wow, there was someone he had not thought about at all for eight months, not since he had first learned that the maniac had finally been captured and put behind bars. It marveled him still that he did not care nearly as much as he thought he would, for he was happy that such a dangerous person would no longer threaten Jump City, but gone was the obsessive feeling he had always carried when he thought of Slade Wilson, the "Deathstroke." Those feelings seemed so long ago, not near as important as the feelings he now held in high regard.

Robin directed his uneasy thoughts back to the woman he loved, vowing to himself to not think about anything other than her at the moment. He was so worried about her, remembering some of the fears she secretly confessed to him only, and shuddered a bit as if cold in his pacing. She was scared that some of their enemies would target their children, scared that there would be attempts on their lives before they could even walk. To be honest, no matter how much Robin reassured her that everything would be okay, he was terrified of the exact same thing. After all, no parent can protect their child all the time forever. He heaved an anxious sigh and rubbed his sweaty palms together as he pushed those thoughts from his mind and let others in, other memories of happier times.

He thought of his family, his deceased parents and the circus troop he was taken from, and realized for the first time that it did not pain him to do so. True, thinking of his parents still made him sad, but he realized over the past year or so that he could not continue to view his parents' memory as something so painful. He wanted to tell his children about how great their grandparents were, and he wanted to do it genuinely.

Thinking of his children, Robin began to go over possible human names for them for what seemed to be the umpteenth time, Starfire already having decided the Tamaranean names almost as soon as Galfore left. He had always wanted to name his son after his father, John, but the more he thought about it, the more Robin realized he wanted his son to have his own identity.

'Maybe my father's middle name…' he began to think when he suddenly heard a strangely familiar voice sing-song in his ear.

"_Fain galan de remmin lais_

_O Linnathon le Ennorath"_

"I know that voice," Robin whispered to himself, still loud enough to attract the attention of his other teammates. His uncovered azure eyes widened as something flashed across his memory, something he had not thought of for nearly three years. He was so caught up in what he heard that he didn't notice Ahren standing in front of him until the brunette waved his hand across his face, startling him.

"You in there Rob?" Ahren asked in an amused tone that slowly melted into confusion when he saw the look on the other young man's face. "Hey, I'm sure Red's fine…no need to worry about her."

"I wasn't thinking about Star," Robin answered in a dazed voice before it turned sharp and inquisitive. "Didn't you hear that voice just now? It sounded female and was singing…well sort of. It was a language I didn't understand."

"Uh Robin," Ahren replied with a nervous laugh. "I think the whole baby thing is making you a bit loopy. There wasn't any voice, not even a singing one."

"I'm being serious Ahren," Robin snapped back, annoyed that the older man was mocking him. "I heard someone just now! She said something like linna-linnabath and enrath. I don't know what they meant, but it sounded so familiar."

Ahren's brown eyes widened after Robin's last statement, asking in an almost breathless voice, "Did-did you mean _Linnathon _and _Ennorath_?"

"Uh yeah," Robin answered, unsure of how Ahren knew the words. "There was more too--"

_Yet is this child of who I sing,_

_Of both Darkness and the Light?_

"There it was again!" Robin exclaimed quietly to himself, repeating the words under his breath loud enough for Ahren to hear, the latter's mouth now opening wide to accompany his bugged out eyes. "It's definitely a girl singing. I think I heard this once before, when I was unconscious or dreaming…there was a willow tree and a green field."

Ahren took a step back from Robin, trying to control his breathing, fully aware of both what Robin had seen and what the song was he was singing. It was children's poem, one that foretold the end of the world, one that talked about a certain golden-eyed child Ahren kept seeing in his visions. It was beyond him why Robin could hear this voice too, but both he and Robin locked eyes when they both heard the same voice in their heads, a voice both had heard before once upon a time.

"_Are you ready?"_

"You heard it too?" Robin asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Yes I did," Ahren answered in a slightly shook tone, locking his brown orbs with the dark blue in front of him. "I've always heard that voice, ever since I started having visions foretelling the end of free will. The question is how _you_ are able to hear that voice too."

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_She meandered down the hallway of the youth displacement center, cleaning and straightening as she went. The building was actually just an orphanage, but because it was an orphanage for children with 'gifts' and certain unusual abilities, it received a special name to be formally recognized by. The center had only been in operation for maybe five months, and already the center had a sizeable number of children residing there. Not to mention volunteers, which was what she was helping with._

_Well, volunteering wasn't the exact word, it was more like community service for a life sentence, not that she really minded. She viewed it as atonement for all the blood on her hands, a way to prove to herself her life was worth a damn. She had been given this chance, she certainly wasn't going to muck it up now._

_She was nearing the end of her work day, she knew that, but she still liked to stay in the center as long as possible before her personal parole-type officer that doubled as her councilor came to take her back to the penitentiary she called home. She pinned up some forgotten pictures laying on the table, a relic to the children's imaginations, on the wall and smiledsoftly to herself that these lost souls had a chance to do things over…had a chance to not end up as she had. She shook her head of those thoughts, determined to only think about those memories at night in her nightmares, and continued to clean up the play area, careful to keep her face stoic as a staff member and another woman walked in, chatting gaily._

_She stole a quick glance up with her extremely acute eyes and saw the staff member she knew as Doreen Marshall, a kind woman who always treated everyone with respect, even someone as unworthy as herself. The other woman, a considerably younger woman with dark auburn hair and gold-flecked eyes, was unknown to her, but she was holding a small bundle in her arms._

"_Oh he's just darling Julie," Doreen gushed as the younger woman beamed proudly. "And would you look at his eyes, they are like pure gold! I bet with those eyes and that thick auburn hair he'll be the local stud of his future high school!"_

"_I suppose so Doreen," the woman called Julie said with a laugh that sounded like water flowing down a stream. "His brother and sisters are quite pleased with little Ryon. They like to call him Fresno though…because of where he was born, on vacation no less! Diego calls him our little "Fresno baby" and Coran and Mae picked it up immediately! But, anyway, I was wondering if you still had a volunteer position here available, I'd love to help out the children here, after all, my father is a Meta."_

"_Of course honey," Doreen answered enthusiastically, her little head bopping up and down in excitement. "I'd love it if you worked here Julie! We should go and speak with Mark right away and get you all set dear!"_

_She saw Julie smile a glorious smile and start to follow Doreen out to go and speak with Mark Johnson, the man who was in charge of hiring volunteers at the center. She felt a small pang of jealously as she looked at the little squirming bundle being held lovingly in his mother's arms before suppressing the feeling and beginning to walk out as well to meet her officer. She was nearly to the door when she was stopped by the kind voice of the woman called Julie._

"_Hello there, sorry I didn't say it back in the other room. Doreen tells me you volunteer here for your community service and I think that's just wonderful. I'm looking forward to working with you here…my name is Julie Prisai and this is my little Ryon, our newest addition."_

_The woman Julie gazed down with love at her little one and she got her first good look at the baby. He was a handsome little thing, a tuft of deep red hair on his crown and a healthy golden complexion. It was his eyes that drew her gaze, they were the deepest gold on gold color she ad ever seen. She looked back up to see Julie gazing at her, wanting to know her name as well._

_Panic flooded through her then, the indecision of whether she should lie or not filling her. She normally did not lie about who she was, something that caused many of the other volunteers to avoid her completely, but she did not know if she had the strength to do so with this woman yet. She knew her name all too well…Prisai…two little terrified children crept into her vision, their gold-flecked eyes wide with fear when a black-haired hero sacrificed himself for their lives; lives that she had ransomed. And now, here was their mother, with the most beautiful baby she had ever seen and she was offering her friendship. She wasn't worthy to lie to this woman…she had to accept the punishment she had earned, so she took a deep breath and took the plunge._

"_My name is Vanessa Bowman…but I used to go by Viper."_

_The silence was almost too much for Vanessa to bear, the other woman's eyes going wide and staring at her. The burning shame flooded her face and she felt the pinpricks of tears that she usually only shed at night forming at the corners of her yellow eyes. She mumbled a quick "I'm so sorry" before starting to hurry away, not able to stand the stare any longer. She was almost to the door when the soft voice called out again, freezing her in her tracks._

"_Vanessa," Julie said in a quiet voice, her eyes now filled with both understanding and forgiveness. "I thought that was who you were. I just wanted to tell you that while I am aware of the atrocious deeds you have committed on others, my own family included, I truly respect what you have chosen to do with your life now. I came here to not really ask for a job, my primary goal was to seek you out…I just wanted to say that I forgive you for what you almost did to my family, and I hope you one day will be able to forgive yourself."_

"_Why…why are you…"Vanessa trailed off, not sure why this woman would want to forgive someone like her. She looked on helplessly as Julie Prisai gathered up her coat with her free hand, cooing to her squealing baby boy. "I don't deserve this."_

"_Perhaps not," Julie said kindly as she made her way out of the center, casting one final look at the petite girl. "But it does not mean that one day you won't. And I for one, do not want to see this world plunged into darkness."_

_With that last mysterious statement, Julie Prisai and her little "Fresno" were gone from her sight, leaving a very confused Vanessa Bowman staring after them even as her officer cam to take her back to the prison. She allowed a small, truly happy smile as she climbed into the barricaded transport, hoping to see that little baby boy again…hoping to feel that warmth again, even if it wasn't for her, it was nice to know that it existed._

"_Maybe I really do have a purpose," she murmured to herself as she watched the sun set. "Maybe I really do."_

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Raven phased through several rooms to get where she was headed, the medical wing to make sure Starfire was indeed all right. It wasn't exactly ethical, and it was a bit too sneaky (well, like Beastboy really) for her tastes, but she saw no other avenue presenting itself. So there she was, crouching down behind a large machine of some kind, Cyborg had random contraptions strewn about the floor on this level it seemed, and waiting for whoever was passing by to hurry up and do so. That didn't exactly work out as planned.

"Raven?" a soft, but slightly amused voice asked the hidden woman, causing the purple-haired goth to jump in surprise. "Raven what are you doing? Don't tell me you're playing hide-and-seek with Beastboy to help calm nerves!"

"Hello Lily," Raven said emotionlessly as she rose from her crouched hiding spot, giving the lilac-eyed woman a look of annoyance with her comment. "I was just passing through…hoping to make sure Starfire's not dead and all. I can't take Robin's incessant pacing anymore, so I left to see if she was all right, and since we obviously aren't allowed to see her…at all...I decided to 'snoop' a bit."

"Yeah I know," Lily said with a half-hearted smile, her face failing to conceal the worry in her eyes. "The Tamaranean physicians don't want anyone helping unless they are highly qualified…they allow me only because I've helped with births before when I lived in Ireland. That and I do have healing powers, I mean I know you do too, but they thought it best for someone who uses them more frequently would be greater help. But, don't worry, she's all right."

"Then why do you still look worried?" Raven asked pointedly, her hips now cocked to the side and an eyebrow raised.

"Because the physicians are concerned about the children's genetic structure and their affect on Star's immune system," Lily answered in a scientific manner. "Apparently, twins in Tamaranean culture are extremely rare and often can cause complications due to the female reproductive system. Star's uterus is significantly smaller than yours or mine, and children in her culture are born sporadically, she told me her mother was a local hero because she had three living children. The physicians are worried about that in addition to the fact that the twins are hybrids, made up of a fuse of two completely genetic codes. Star is in a lot of pain…and she didn't even dilate the proper width until a little bit ago...I left about an hour ago, just to clear my head."

Raven stared back, accepting this answer in a stoic manner to not distress the brown-haired girl anymore than she already was. The two women stood in silence, letting the cold possibilities of what could happen sink in for a moment, before Raven broke it with a determined statement. "Starfire is a strong woman…she can brave through a difficult birth. She won't let something like this beat her without a fight."

Lily started to nod when Torga came out of the medical room down the hall and motioned for Lily to come back. She did so, with Raven hot on her heels, and when she came in, she heard the squalling of a newborn child. Mabel was wiping down a red and placenta covered child while Torga positioned herself between a sweaty and exhausted looking Starfire's legs to prepare for the next child.

"She has birthed a healthy and strong female," Torga said as Lily came to stand beside Starfire's bed-side. "Now the male comes…why have you brought another of the Titans here Leely?"

Raven was about to retort an aggravated answer to the wizened old healer when Starfire's tired voice spoke up for her. "I would like it if friend Raven stayed here by my side Torga," the red-head said as she lifted her head and winced slightly at what might have been a contraction. "It would be most helpful for me to feel some of her strength."

Torga gave a nod of approval at her princess and Raven walked over to stand next to Starfire's head. The pale woman's hand wrapped around the alien's, and Raven gave her friend a rare smile as she felt Starfire squeeze her hand as another contraction passed over her, the gothic beauty sending her healing energy to soothe away the pain. Raven did not know how long they stayed as thus, only noting the time intervals at which Starfire would grip her hand in her atypical bone-crushing manner and how the time between was decreasing. Even as Starfire gave a slight moan and Lily encouraged her to try and push, Raven was distracted from it all by the strange foreboding she felt creeping into her subconscious.

In what seemed like forever and a second, Starfire relaxed back down, and her grip lessened, pulling Raven's attention to another squalling new born. He was as messy looking as his twin sister, and she couldn't help but smile, the feeling of uneasiness gone and forgotten in an instant. As Mabel cleaned the newest life, Torga helped clean up Starfire, speaking with Lily in a hushed tone that the exhausted Starfire could not hear, but one Raven could pick up instantly.

"The second child was more difficult than the first," Torga commented sadly to Lily. "If she had not had that one maybe--"

"What?" Lily asked in a terrified voice. "Is she okay? Don't tell me that she's…that she's--"

"No no," Torga said quickly, sensing what Lily was trying to say and squashing that in an instant. "But she has damaged herself. There will be consequences for this, mark what I say human, and they will make themselves more apparent after time I surmise. The two births and the differences in genetics have disrupted her own chemical signals, particularly her immune system…she might be at risk in the future. But she knew the risks, she decided to keep the children, so she must live with her decision…even if it takes her life."

Raven looked up at Lily, both women's eyes now full of worry for their sleeping companion, and she gave a nod, deciding to keep this information private between them and Starfire until she choose to divulge what problems she might have. Either way, it probably meant she would no longer be able to fight crime, no longer be able to be a Teen Titan in action. Raven looked over to wear Mabel was now, carrying two clean and pink-faced newborn children over to their mother.

Raven gently shook Starfire awake and whispered, "Star, some little ones want to say hello to you."

Starfire smiled and gladly, albeit tiredly, took her two children in her arms from Mabel, letting a single, beautiful tear slide down her face as she gazed down at her children. "Can someone please retrieve Robin for me," she asked softly as she gazed into her children's wide open and beautiful eyes. Be fore lily could even open the door, Robin was inside, answering a summon Raven had sent him earlier, a memorable look on his face as he hurried over to Starfire's side. Raven and Lily joined the other Titans now mulling around the door to give the two new parents some room alone.

Starfire looked up at Robin, a huge grin plastered across her face as he looked down at his two children. Robin marveled at the pink skin he knew would become a pale color just like his instead of their mother's deep orange tan. He ran a shaky hand over both their crowns, feeling the soft, midnight-black hair underneath his fingers, and his eyes locked on with theirs.

"Star," he choked out in an amazed voice as an open sapphire and emerald pair of eyes gazed back at him. "Their eyes are open…their eyes aren't supposed to open yet."

"Tamaraneans open their eyes quickly after birth Robin," Starfire answered with a gentle chuckle. "Remember when I said to Raven how even newborn on my planet could experience the joy of flight? Well, how are we to fly if we cannot see where we are going?"

Robin simply smiled at her and the two parents were frozen as they watched their son and daughter squirm and make inarticulate noises. Starfire blew on a lock of Robin's dark hair to gain his attention before she asked him, "Have you decided on the human names of our children yet? I believe it is your custom to name at birth…if you are not ready we can--"

"No Star," Robin interrupted as he looked into her green eyes, eyes she had passed onto their son. "I know now that I'm looking at them. Our little blue-eyed girl is Lisane, and this handsome green-eyed boy is…is James. Do you like them?"

She smiled, leaned over to kiss his cheek and answered, "I love them Robin… they are wondrous names for our children. I will reveal what mine after I have a better idea of how they act…perhaps a few months or so."

That sounded perfect to Robin and he gave her another small kiss before turning back to the Titans to introduce the two newest additions to the Tower. The girl portion all crowded around Starfire while the male part all swarmed Robin, patting his back and rubbing his hair against his head.

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The first few months of parenthood were hard as usual for all parents, especially for the young ones who happen to fight crime on a daily basis. Luckily for our heroes, Cyborg adopted the leader mantle and forbade both Starfire and Robin from fighting anyone but their own rambunctious children. The two adapted to their new jobs marvelously though, and things to calm down after five months or so.

True to her word Lisane was able to float and fly a little bit whenever she was truly happy, something James did not seem to inherit. Instead, he nearly broke every toy he owned before Starfire realized her little boy had inherited her great strength and she gave him some of the specially made toys from Galfore to play with. And it was on their sixth month birthday that Starfire had finally decided on their Tamaranean names.

"Friends," Starfire shouted out as she held Lisane in her arms, Robin held James in his, and the other Titans dished out cake to celebrate the occasion. "I would like to announce something that is very important in my culture. I would like to announce that I have decided on the traditional Tamaranean names for the twins!"

She waited for the other Titans to stop their cheers, or for Cyborg and Beastboy to anyway, before she continued. "I will start with James because he was the easiest. Our little boy is incredibly rambunctious and always seems to be getting into trouble, especially when it comes to the video game system! On my planet, there is a word that James seems to exemplify…_tyr'e_ which means 'little fire.' So, I have named him Tyr'andr…Spitfire."

She was met with instant approval, especially from a still sour Beastboy because of the incident when James had demolished the new Playstation III he received for his Eighteenth birthday. She smiled and waited for them to quiet down before she continued.

"Now, Lisane was much more difficult to name because she is so very quiet. It was not until I noticed how beautifully deep blue hers were that I knew exactly what her name should be. Blue eyes are not common on Tamaran, in fact, I can think of no one who has them. So, I have decided to name her thus, Bry'andr…Bluefire."

The cheers went up again, from all except Robin and Ahren, both men's eyes widening as a song and picture came rushing back into their visions.

_" A Atar e thonetiel_

_silivren penna le miriel_

_o menal aglar elenath_

_Na-Chaereds pelaen direail._

_Fain galan de remmin lais_

_O Linnathon le Ennorath?_

_Nef Aear, Ciare, si nef siadea_

_Medai jan nofa, es chaeris."  
_

_" Bright Silverlarks and Golden Child_

_Whisked away upon the Dawn._

_Of Kind and Mercy Mild_

_To Stay the Evil's Spawn._

_Yet is this child of who I sing,_

_Of both Darkness and the Light?_

_He is the Seeker, Searcher, and will bring _

_Us to that Morning bright."_

Robin's eyes retracted back as he saw the beautiful girl from the trauma induced dream he had all that time ago. He smiled at Starfire, letting her know he approved of the name and looked away from his son in his arms to look at his baby girl in the alien's arms. "It was you uh Lisane. All that time it was you…"

Ahren slunk away from the crowd, his breath catching in his throat. He had hoped against hope that because Starfire was having twins, little Lisane would not be that girl he had seen…but Starfire's declaration of her name had just confirmed his vision to be true. "I wished the pain I saw you go through wouldn't be true Lisane," he whispered to no one but himself as he turned to leave the room. "I had really hoped it wasn't you."

"_Are you ready?"_

"_I am called Bry'andr…"_

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**A/N: **Wow…I had hoped this would be shorter, but again I have proved to myself I cannot do such a thing. I left SOOOOO many clues in this chapter, I even sorta surprised myself. I bet some of you will be able to see where I'm going with this now, but I'm not saying nothing!

Oh, on my Profile page, I finally have decided the titles for the trilogy that comes after this arc…check it out if you wanna!

Viper's back! Well, not really, but she is still one of my main characters so don't expect her to go anywhere anytime soon. Remember, I LOVE reviews…they help me write faster honestly. Tell me what you think! Until next time!

Osco


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